ep&dee no 2, 2015

EP&DeeDESIGN & MANUFACTURING MARCH, 2015 ISSUE NO. 2, VOL. 13

E L E C T R O N I C S P R O D U C T S & D E S I G N E A S T E R N E U R O P E

THE EAST EUROPEAN RESOURCEFOR EMBEDDED APPLICATIONS

EP&Dee | March, 2015 | www.epd-ee.eu2

Table of Contents

MARCH 2015

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DESIGN FEATURES

8 Creating designs that measure impactInspired by element14’s ‘Sudden Impact’ Wearable Design Challenge, this is the second in a series of exclusive blog posts for MDT that will explore the challenges of creating wearable medical devices.

10 Opportunities for device differentiationInternet of Things

16 The Latest HMI Solutions from 1D to 3DJust a few years ago Touch revolutionized input: mechanical buttons, keyboards and sliders were replaced by static plastic or metal surfaces. It meant that operator interfaces could be incorporated into a device, and unobtrusive and modern design became increasingly common on the factory floor.

20 Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP)This document contains generic information that encompasses Wafer Level Chip Scale Packages (WLCSP). It should be noted that device specific information is contained in Datasheet. This document serves only as a guideline to help develop a user specific solution. Actual experience and development efforts are still required to optimize the process per individual device requirements and practices.

25 Maxim Integrated Demonstrated Highly Integrated Analog Solutions at Embedded World 2015Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. demonstrated highly integrated analog solutions for embedded applications at the Embedded World 2015 Exhibition and Conference in Nuremberg, Germany (February 24–26, 2015). Organized in three demo areas for Industrial Power, Industrial Interface, and Signal Chain, Maxim’s solutions showed systems engineers how to simplify designs and get to market faster.

26 Kinetis Mini MCUs Wafer-Level Chip-Scale Package Portfolio

28 Developing advanced packaging to meet increased needs for higher power density in power modulesIncreased processing density in high-end data server designs with the cramming of more and more silicon on to PCBs continues to have an impact on power supply systems.

32 Power Modules Win Out, but Choose WiselyPower modules are the way to go when it comes to leveraging the expertise of power experts and getting your design to market quickly, but choose wisely.

36 Athena Technologies Relies on VectorCAST for DO-178B Level B Certification37 ŠKODA ELECTRIC Achieves EN 50128 Compliance with VectorCAST38 New PowerVR G6020 GPU targets ultra-affordable mobile and IoT devices42 Light color control and management made easy48 NEW PRODUCTS from Aurocon COMPEC

Aurocon Compec has a portfolio of over 500.000 products from over 2,500 trusted global brands and in every month it adds over 5.000 new products for the whole range. Choosing the right distributor is as important as choosing the right technical components for your business.

PRODUCT NEWS

Embedded Systems(p 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 19, 40, 41)Sensors (p 42)Active Components(p 44 - 47)Passive Components(p 52)

4544

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Microchip announces the first in a series of modules for the LoRa™ technology low-data-rate wireless networking standard, which enables Internet of Things (IoT) andMachine-to-Machine (M2M) wireless communication with a range of more than 10miles (suburban), a battery life of greater than 10 years, and the ability to connect mil-lions of wireless sensor nodes to LoRa technology gateways. The 433/868 MHzRN2483 is a European R&TTE Directive Assessed Radio Module, accelerating develop-

ment time while reducingdevelopment costs. Additionally, it combinesa small module form fac-tor of 17.8 × 26.3 × 3 mmwith 14 GPIOs, providingthe flexibility to connectand control a large num-ber of sensors and actua-tors while taking up verylittle space.Gartner predicts thatthere will be 25 billionconnected things in useby 2020. While the IoT

market is explosively growing, developers are challenged to establish a simple, robustinfrastructure with their limited resources. They are demanding a solution thatrequires a minimum total cost of ownership and is easy to design, with short time tomarket, great interoperability and nationwide deployment.The RN2483 comes with the LoRaWAN™ protocol stack, so it can easily connect with theestablished and rapidly expanding LoRa Alliance infrastructure, including both privatelymanaged local area networks (LANs) and telecom-operated public networks, to createLow Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) with nationwide coverage. This stack inte-gration also enables the module to be used with any microcontroller that has a UARTinterface, including hundreds of Microchip’s PIC® MCUs. Additionally, the RN2483 fea-tures Microchip’s simple ASCII command interface for easy configuration and control.LoRa technology has several advantages over other wireless systems. It utilises a spread-spectrum base modulation that is capable of demodulation with a 20 dB below noiselevel. This enables high sensitivity with robust network links, improves network efficien-cy and eliminates interference. The LoRaWAN protocol’s star topology eliminates syn-chronisation overhead and hops, compared to mesh networks, which reduces powerconsumption and enables multiple concurrent applications to run on the network. LoRatechnology also has a much longer range than other wireless protocols, which enablesthe RN2483 to operate without repeaters, reducing the total cost of ownership. In com-parison to 3G and 4G cellular networks, LoRa technology is far more scalable and costeffective for embedded applications. The RN2483 module resolves the age-old wirelessdeveloper’s dilemma, where they had to choose between longer range and lower powerconsumption. By employing LoRa technology, designers can now maximise both whilereducing the cost of additional repeaters. Additionally, the RN2483 provides them withthe ability to secure their network communication using AES-128 encryption.With its scalability, robust communication, mobility and the ability to operate in harshoutdoor environments, the RN2483 is well suited for a broad range of low-data-ratewireless monitoring and control designs. Example IoT and M2M applications include:Smart Cities, such as street lights, parking and traffic sensors; Energy Measurement smartmeters for electricity, water and gas; and Industrial/Commercial/Home Automationapplications such as HVAC controls, smart appliances, security systems and lighting.Samples of the RN2483 are available now and it is expected to be widely available forpurchase in May.

MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY www.microchip.com/LoRa-Module-030215a

Microchip LoRa™ technology wireless moduleenables IoT: First module for ultra long-range andlow-power network standard

Lattice Semiconductor EnablesFaster IEC61508 Certificationwith FPGA Functional Safety

Design FlowLattice Semiconductor Corporation theleader in ultra-low power, small form factor,customizable solutions, announced the avail-ability of the Functional Safety Design Flowsolution based on the Lattice Diamond®Design Tools. Certified by TÜV-Rheinland,an independent organization globally recog-nized for safety and quality testing, the pack-age enables users to bring their product tomarket faster by simplifying and speedingup the IEC61508 safety certification processfor applications using Lattice FPGAs.

“By using Lattice’s qualified Functional SafetyDesign Flow, designers can adhere to the latestsafety design methodology when developingsafety-critical designs, accelerate their certifica-tion process and reduce design costs”, said JimTavacoli, Sr. Director, Product and SegmentMarketing, Lattice.

IEC61508 has become the global standardfor functional safety certification, and manyindustry specific standards are derived fromit. The Lattice solution comprises a designflow and the development tools necessary toensure that applications comply up to SafetyIntegrity level 3 (SIL3) certification.

The Functional Safety Design Flow solutionincludes: Lattice Diamond Design Tools suite(a complete design and verification flowincluding Lattice Synthesis Engine and incor-porating third party tools such as AldecActive-HDL™ simulator and SynopsysSynplify Pro® synthesis) and Safety UserManual. Lattice FPGA families coveredinclude both non-volatile (MachXO™,MachXO2™, LatticeXP2™) and SRAM-based(LatticeECP2™, LatticeECP2M™ & LatticeECP3™)products.

LATTICE SEMICONDUCTORwww.latticesemi.com

INDUSTRY NEWS EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

www.epd-ee.eu | March, 2015 | EP&Dee 5

Altera Corporation strengthened its leadership position in SoC FPGAproducts by shipping its second-generation SoC family. Arria® 10SoCs are the industry’s only programmable devices that combineARM® processors with a 20 nm FPGA fabric. Arria 10 SoCs bringacross-the-board improvements to enable higher performing, lowerpower, and more feature rich embedded systems compared to pre-vious generation SoC FPGAs. Altera showcased its SoC-based solu-tions, including the industry’s only 20 nm SoC FPGA, to attendees ofEmbedded World 2015 in Nurnberg, Germany.

“The extraordi-nary customerinterest in our28nm SoC familyled Altera to com-mit to a compre-hensive roadmapfor SoC FPGAdevices and weare now deliver-ing on that prom-ise with our 2nd

generation 20nmSoC FPGAs,” saidChris Balough,senior director ofmarketing, SoC

products at Altera. “We are delighted to put initial samples into the handsof early customers who are counting on Altera’s total commitment and lead-ership in this emerging device category.”Embedded developers who have already realized the value of SoCFPGAs have a clear migration path with Altera for enhancing theirnext-generation systems. Arria 10 SoCs are fully software compatiblewith Altera’s previous 28 nm SoC product family for seamless soft-ware migration between generations. Arria 10 SoCs provide up to 50percent higher performance and up to 40 percent lower power thanthe previous generation. Altera’s SoC portfolio also includes a 3rd-generation 14 nm Stratix® 10 SoC with a 64-bit quad-core ARMCortex-A53 processor for embedded developers that demand thehighest performance and power efficiency.Altera SoC FPGAs enable smarter embedded systems by enablingsingle-chip product differentiation in both hardware and software.Combining ARM processors with FPGA fabric provides greater sys-tem value through reductions in power, costs and board space. Arria10 SoCs are optimized to deliver the performance, power, securityand cost requirements for next-generation embedded applicationswithin wireless infrastructure, wireline communications, computerand storage, and broadcast equipment.

AvailabilityArria 10 SoC samples are currently shipping to select early access cus-tomers. To inquire on lead times or pricing information, contact yourlocal Altera sales representatives. Customers can begin their Arria 10SoC designs by using Quartus II software and the Altera SoCEmbedded Design Suite featuring the ARM Development Studio(DS-5™) Altera Edition toolkit.

ALTERA www.altera.com

Altera Ships 20 nm SoCsAltera’s 2nd Generation Arria 10 SoC is Industry’sOnly 20 nm SoC FPGA

As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to gain momentum,Freescale Semiconductor and its partners are tackling the mostdire challenge the young movement has faced to date – thealarming lack of unified guidelines for ensuring the security ofIoT applications.

Gartner, Inc. forecasts that 4.9 billion connected things will bein use in 2015, up 30 per cent from 2014, and the figure willreach 25 billion by 2020. The analyst firm also projects that by2017, 50 percent of IoT solutions will originate in startups thatare less than three years old.Meanwhile, the specter of an insecure and dangerous IoT isbecoming increasingly worrisome: last month, the U.S. FederalTrade Commission publicly raised concerns of security risksassociated with the rising number of interconnected systemsand devices, and a top U.S. news organization reported thatDARPA had wirelessly hacked into a major automotive OEM’sbraking system. Additionally, a recent report from tech giantHP found that many IoT end-nodes are inherently insecure,with 70 percent of evaluated devices transmitting data viaunencrypted network services.Intent on applying its extensive expertise and proven tech-nologies to address these trends, Freescale announced severallandmark programs intended to help establish standards anddrive industry metrics for IoT security assurance. These initia-tives include: • Teaming with the Embedded Microprocessor BenchmarkingConsortium (EEMBC) to identify critical embedded securitygaps, and collaborate with other consortium members toestablish guidelines that help IoT OEMs and system designersbetter secure IoT transactions and endpoints. Founding mem-bers of this coalition will convene in May at the second annualIoT Developers Conference in Santa Clara, California.• Establishing Freescale Security Labs – Centers of Excellence atFreescale’s headquarters and other locations worldwide, wherethe company, its partners and customers will focus on enhance-ment of IoT security technologies spanning from the cloud tothe end-node.• Creating a program dedicated to educating startups on IoTsecurity best practices and providing access to Freescale’s part-ner ecosystem.• Committing to allocate up to 10 percent of the company’sannual R&D budget on IoT security technologies.FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR www.freescale.com

Freescale drives for a secureInternet of Things




Microchip announces from the Embedded World 2015Exhibition & conference in Germany the MM7150 MotionModule which combines Microchip’s SSC7150 motion co-processor with 9-axis sensors, including accelerometer, magne-tometer and gyroscope in a small, easy-to-use form factor.With a simple I2C™ connection to most MCUs/MPUs, embed-ded/IoT applications can easily tap into the module’s advancedmotion and position data. The motion module contains

Microchip’s SSC7150motion co-processorwhich is pre-pro-grammed with sophisti-cated sensor fusionalgorithms which intelli-gently filter, compen-sate and combine theraw sensor data to pro-vide highly accurateposition and orienta-tion information. Thesmall form factor mod-ule is self-calibrating

during operation utilising data from the pre-populated sen-sors: the Bosch BMC150 6-axis digital compass; and theBMG160 3-axis gyroscope. The MM7150 motion module issingle-sided to be easily soldered down during the manufac-turing process. Microchip makes it easy to develop motionapplications for a variety of products using their MM7150PICtail™ Plus Daughter Board. The MM7150 Motion Module iswell suited for a wide range of embedded applications such asportable devices and robotics; industrial applications such ascommercial trucks, industrial automation, patient tracking andsmart farming; and consumer electronics such as the Internet ofThings (IoT), remote controls, gaming devices, toys and wear-able devices; among other applications.The MM7150 is supported by the MM7150 PICtail™ PlusDaughter Board (AC243007) priced at $50.00, which plugsdirectly into Microchip’s Explorer 16 Development Board(DM240001) priced at $129.99, to enable quick and easy pro-totyping utilising Microchip’s extensive installed base of PIC®microcontrollers. Microchip’s MM7150 is available now in a 17mm×17mm body.

MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGYwww.microchip.com/MM7150-Page-022415a

Microchip’s new motion modulemakes motion monitoring easy

Freescale Semiconductor introduced an analog dual-path batterycharger for wearable and portable Internet of Things (IoT) devices.The single-cell, Li-Ion and Li-Polymer BC3770 charger is fully pro-grammable, features a small form factor and supports fast chargingfor portable embedded systems like those based on Freescale’spopular i.MX applications processors and Kinetis microcontroller(MCU) products. The new BC3770 addresses market demand for rapid charging, longbattery life and uninterrupted portable operation, while incorporat-ing features that help OEMs and system designers avoid device over-

charge andoverheating.The BC3770charger andboost regulatorcircuits switch at1.5 MHz to min-imize the size ofexternal passivecomponents,thus improvingefficiency, sav-ing space andreducing cost.In addition, theproduct’s charg-ing parametersand operatingmodes are fullyprogrammableover an I²Cinterface thatoperates up to400 kHz, allow-ing for highlyoptimized solutions.Freescale’s newbattery chargerfeatures a 20Vtolerant single

input, and charges the battery with a current up to 2.0A, supportingsimultaneous charging and application use. To help streamline sys-tem development, a BC3770 Freescale Freedom board is availablefeaturing a Kinetis KL25Z microcontroller with example interfacesoftware and GUI.

Additional features include:• Dual -path output powers system while charging the battery• 25-bump 2.27mm×2.17mm wafer level chip scale package (WLCSP)• 900mA boost mode charging for USB OTG• Supports single cell Li-ion and Li-polymer batteries • High-efficiency synchronous switching regulator• 1.5 MHz switching frequency• Programmable interface to monitor different charging modesFREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR www.freescale.com/Battery

Freescale expands system power manage-ment portfolio to support portableInternet of Things devices and systems

Key Facts:• MM7150 Motion Module combines motion co-processor with

motion sensors• SSC7150 motion co-processor is pre-programmed with the key

sensor fusion algorithms• Integrates a 6-axis digital compass, 3-axis gyroscope and a

magnetometer• Simple connection to MCUs and MPUs via I2C™• Offers easy solderability and self-calibration during operation



New TZ1001 Smartwatch Reference Modelfeatures Bluetooth® Low Energy connectivityand Qi Wireless ChargingToshiba Electronics Europe (TEE) has launched a newSmartwatch Reference Model, with enhanced sport, activityand lifestyle features. Built around the TZ1001MBG ApPLiteTM application processor, it provides developers with anideal starting point for designing future smartwatches forsport watch applications.

The TZ1001 Smartwatch Reference Model enables designersto evaluate the function and performance of advanced soft-ware and technologies developed for wearable devices.Fitted with an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer andoptical pulse sensor, to measure motion, movement andheartbeat, the Reference Model provides an ideal structurefor prototyping devices aimed at the active-lifestyle and well-being sectors.The Reference Model follows the launch of the TZ1001MBG, asingle package application processor with integratedaccelerometer sensor for data collecting, a processor for dataprocessing, flash memory for data storage, and a Bluetooth® LowEnergy controller for data communication. Integration of thesefeatures makes it possible to create compact, lightweight wear-able devices that do not require any additional components.Battery life being crucial to wearable devices, the TZ1001Smartwatch Reference Model has been specifically designedfor low power performance and is fitted with a Bluetooth LowEnergy controller to ensure effective communication withsmartphones and tablets. The smartwatch reference model isequipped with a Toshiba Wireless Power Receiver ICTC7764WBG and Toshiba Fast Charger IC TC7710AWBG forquick and simple WPC Qi wireless charging in addition to amicro USB port.* ApP LiteTM is a trademark of Toshiba Corporation.* Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart and Bluetooth Smart Ready are registeredtrademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Toshiba uses them under license.

TOSHIBA ELECTRONICS EUROPE www.toshiba.semicon-storage.com

Toshiba Introduces SmartwatchReference Model with Integrated

Motion and Activity Sensors

Imagination Technologies (IMG.L) announces a new PowerVR HighEfficiency Video Coding (HEVC) IP family designed to provide thehighest quality H.265 encoding, while optimizing silicon area andbandwidth usage. This multi standard encoder also offers high-qual-ity H.264 encoding for compatibility with the huge range of AVC(Advanced Video Coding) decoders available today. PowerVR Series5 video encoders are ideal for applications requiringa flexible encoder able to offer a choice of resolution and bitratesupport at the highest quality, covering markets from 720p @ 30fpsto 4K @ 60fps and beyond. The first three IP cores in the new seriesinclude encoders optimized for high-efficiency mass market, high-performance mainstream mobile and ultra-high definition (UHD)content creation.HEVC/H.265 video compression technology is designed to delivervideo quality comparable to content encoded in the currentAVC/H.264 standard, at approximately half the bitrate – critical fortransmission of HD and UHD video content over today’s limitedbandwidth connections.

The new Series5 encoders are designed to deliver all the key benefitsof HEVC in terms of quality and bitrate reduction relative to H264. Inaddition, the architecture features advanced search algorithms, a fulltoolset implementation and optimized rate control algorithms whichenable the PowerVR solution to require typically 30% fewer bits thancompeting solutions to achieve the same quality. The new encodersare capable of high frame rate encoding up to 1080p @ 240fps,enabling faster than real-time transcoding, slow motion recording andmulti-stream encoding. The flexibility of the new encoders can trans-late to numerous application-specific benefits:• Save costs with the ability to record and store more video content

in less memory space• Reduce upload bandwidth and power required to access cloud

video hosting services• Deliver the highest possible quality for prosumer video and

entry-level broadcast recording• Minimize the required transmission bandwidth for video

conferencing / streaming on a mobile device• Enable high-quality, low-latency mirroring for video games on a

TV from a mobile device or tablet in real time• Ensure the low latency needed for safety critical applications like

advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)

IMAGINATION TECHNOLOGIES www.imgtec.com

New PowerVR video IP family fromImagination combines highest quality H.265/H.264 encoding withoptimized low latency streaming


DESIGN ‘SUDDEN IMPACT’

Our Sudden Impact finalists come from allcorners of the world and as such, one oftheir key tasks has been to ensure theirdesigns meet their countries’ respectivestandards in defining and measuring injuries.

Challengers are quickly realising that beforethey can bring their ideas to life, theirdesigns must be in line with scientific andmedical regulations that ensure that allrelayed diagnostics are accurate and

unchanging – the latter being extremelyimportant for the trainers and athletes whowill be relying on the data from these hand-made devices.

In other words, our design engineers needto make sure their solutions cannot provideusers with false injury information; this infor-mation could lead to potentially seriousconsequences, particularly if an existinginjury is not detected accurately.

Head Injury Criterion: Footballers and SkiersGerman-born Hendrik Lipka’s design is tar-geted at skiers and footballers and has twokey functions: monitoring an athlete’s heartrate during training and acting as a helmet-mounted impact monitor during competi-tions. Hendrik’s research for the devicefocused on the biological and medical sci-ences, and this is where he discovered the‘Head Injury Criterion’, or ‘HIC’ as it is more

Inspired by element14’s ‘Sudden Impact’ WearableDesign Challenge, this is the second in a series of exclusiveblog posts for MDT that will explore the challenges ofcreating wearable medical devices.

The Sudden Impact challenge is in full swing and our participants are continuingto support a multitude of different sports through a number of innovativedevice designs. Head injuries and internal trauma remain two of the mostwidely discussed topics amongst researchers and medical personnel, but howcan design engineers measure the ‘impact’ of these injuries? How can ‘impact’be defined and what are its limits? These are just some of the questions thatour participants will need to answer before they even start trying to maketheir designs a reality.

Author: Christian DeFeo,eSupplier and Innovation Manager,Newark element14

Creating designs thatmeasure impact


DESIGN ‘SUDDEN IMPACT’

commonly known. HIC is used to detect theeffect and duration of acceleration anddeceleration at the moment of impact withthe head, and has become a popular way totest the durability and security of sportsequipment and safety gear.

The HIC formula uses an acceleration curveto calculate an average acceleration during aspecific period of time – this is usually 15msbut can range from as little as 3ms, all theway up to 36ms. A maximum value is thencalculated using the overall time frame, inorder to determine the impact of the forceof acceleration to the head. Interestingly,different variables can be substituted intothe formula to make it applicable to otherparts of the body too. An example of a reallife situation where the HIC formula couldbe used is to detect the sharp drop in accel-eration when a footballer collides with ateam player on the pitch.

However, while the HIC formula seems likea perfect fit for his design, Hendrik hasadmitted some difficulties with the theory.Analog Devices’ ADXL series accelerometeronly captures 800 or 1600 measurementsper second, making his preferred accuracymuch more difficult to obtain. Ideally thesemeasurements would occur every millisec-ond to better calculate sum totals in a spe-cific time frame through simple multiplica-tion and division.

As such, Hendrik’s main challenge is in pro-gramming his helmet to calculate accelera-tion fast and efficiently enough, withoutcompromising on battery life.

Cumulative concussions and contact sportsKas Lewis from Canada is another one ofelement14’s Sudden Impact finalists andproposed the idea of a multi-sport helmetthat can monitor for heat strokes, heartattacks and concussions. While many hel-mets were suggested throughout the chal-lenge, Kas’ stood out because of its abilityto measure repeat injuries to the head, or‘cumulative concussions’. Although single impact injuries are thoughtto have a long lasting effect on the brain, itis generally agreed that cumulative concus-sions are far more dangerous as they do notallow the brain enough time to recover fromone impact, before another follows. Assuch, the helmet Kas has designed is bestsuited to contact sports such as football,

where injuries are rife and can have signifi-cant long-term consequences for the player.

Kas’ design will incorporate a temperaturesensor to detect abnormal body tempera-tures, as well as two separate accelerome-ters to monitor the severity of individualconcussions with a high degree of accuracy.The device will also be fully equipped withmonitoring and reporting capabilities, usingthe CC3100 in conjunction with theMSP430F5529 to collect and upload real-time information to a cloud-based systemsuch as Plot.ly.

However, like Hendrik, Kas faces a numberof challenges as it is ‘still not fully clear in thescientific community how [the impact ofcumulative concussions] should be meas-ured’. Medical professionals have acknowl-edged that research is still ongoing in tohow these traumas should be diagnosedand monitored.

When dealing with traditional concussions,we are aware of the main symptoms - suchas memory loss, headaches - and the toolsthat can aid diagnostic testing - such as MRIsand X-rays. But there is not as of yet a clearset of characteristics of a cumulative concus-sion, therefore Kas needs to carefully con-sider whether simply monitoring the injuryis sufficient.

The need for flexible designsDesigning technologies to meet the medicaland health sectors’ criteria for impact andinjury is an ongoing discussion amongst pro-fessionals and has been for many years. Thechallenges that Hendrik and Kas face arereal examples of how these discussionsneed to happen if we are to enable engi-neers to tackle real-life problems with newand innovative designs.

However, until a universal medical consen-sus on a condition is reached, engineers’designs need to be flexible and fluid, antici-pating changes to medical standards thatare as of yet unconfirmed. This is one of thedifficult challenges that our Sudden Impactfinalists’ designs will need to address and, inthe next blog post, we will be exploring justhow much this compromise is affecting thefunctionality of their devices.￭

IAR Systems adds staticcode analysis to leadingdevelopment tools forARMIAR Systems®, the leading vendor ofembedded development tools, proudlypresent its latest product innovation C-STAT®. The new tool provides powerfulstatic analysis fully integrated with thehigh-performance development toolchainIAR Embedded Workbench® for ARM®.

Static analysis finds potential issues incode by doing an analysis on the sourcecode level. The analysis helps preventsapplication failure by detecting potentialcode errors including for example memo-ry leaks, access violations, arithmeticerrors and array and string overruns.Because such errors can affect the qualityof products as well as cause securityissues, it is crucial to find them early in thedevelopment cycle and minimize theimpact on the finished product as well ason the project timeline. In addition to rais-ing the code quality, the analysis also aidsalignment with industry coding standards.C-STAT is a powerful static analysis toolthat executes fast and provides analysisresults directly in the IAR EmbeddedWorkbench IDE. It checks compliancewith rules as defined by coding stan-dards including MISRA C:2004, MISRAC++:2008 and MISRA C:2012, as well ashundreds of rules based on for exampleCWE (the Common WeaknessEnumeration) and CERT C/C++. Userscan easily select which rule-set and whichindividual rules to check the codeagainst. To take full control of their code,developers can utilize C-STAT comple-mented by IAR Systems’ tool C-RUN®that checks for actual heap and boundsissues at runtime.C-STAT is now available as an add-onproduct for IAR Embedded Workbenchfor ARM, version 7.40 or later.

MISRA Cwww.misra.org.ukIAR SYSTEMSwww.iar.com/cstat

INDUSTRY NEWS


DESIGN IOT

Opportunities for devicedifferentiation

What is the Internet of Things?The Internet of Things (IoT) is an emergingmarket trend impacting semiconductordevices, system OEMs, cloud serviceproviders, and internet infrastructure compa-nies. The trade press, accompanied by thetypes of companies mentioned above, hasspilled a lot of ink on the subject, but this istypical in an emerging market with evolvingrequirements. For the purpose of this whitepaper, an IoT device or related serviceapplies to the following characteristics.• The device is connected via LAN, WLAN

or WPAN.• The device communicates certain localized

information or requests for service to a network hub or through the network hub to a cloud-based service.

• The cloud accumulates data from the networked device or provides a service or capability to the networked device.

An IoT device can cover a great deal of capa-bilities and be part of a wide range of verticalmarkets. To break down the market segmentsof the Internet of Things, one can look at therequirements of the device in terms of:

• Sustained transmit and receive data rate required for the IoT device

• Type of data the IoT device is handling; for example, the IoT device can be generating or receiving video, audio or other content/data

• The level of processing at the edge of the network; for example, an accelerometer can measure acceleration and velocity, but local sensor data processing may convert that data into distance or energy

• The type of transactions between the device and the cloud; for example, whether the device provides any type of proprietary or sensitive data such as

medical information which needs to be protected by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) laws in the United States

Most IoT applications will be supported bywireless LANs – Wi-Fi (802.11n or 802.11ac)by 802.15.4 (Zigbee) and by Bluetooth.

Classes of IoT devicesIoT devices can be classified based on thetype of data handled. It is useful to view therequirements for IoT devices in this way as away of determining the device requirementsfrom a power, connectivity and security per-spective. We can classify the devices as fol-lows based on the types of data handled:

• Machine to machine data• Audio• Audio/video

Table 1 shows the requirements of the IoTdevice based on the type of data handled.This table is for illustrative purposes andspecific IoT device requirements may vary.

A continuum of capabilitiesAn IoT device connects a physical device tothe cloud for services or further data pro-cessing. The device requires certain func-tional capabilities, and these capabilities willvary based on the application. There are aset of requirements that are needed by IoTdevices, but the scope and the performanceof those features will vary based on theapplication requirements. These feature setrequirements are shown in Figure 1.

Internet of Things


DESIGN IOT

Power managementPower management is most important formobile and other battery backed updevices. In a battery powered device, opti-mizing dynamic as well as static power isimperative. Power optimization is addressedin three different ways:

• Power management control• IP implemented for low power• Power aware software• Power requirements and power

management• Processing power – both CPU and GPU• Connectivity requirements• Security requirements• Cloud interface

Power management control should addressthe inclusion of voltage and frequency scal-ing. In order to integrate power manage-ment control into an IoT device, the systemdesigner needs to identify the knownpower states for each of the major function-al blocks within the device. Table 2 providesan example of power states that the blockswithin an SoC that are valid.IP blocks for IoT should be designed toinclude power control wrappers for power

and frequency scaling as shown in Figure 2. IPproviders, such as Imagination Technologies,can provide power control wrappers that willenable a functional IP block to be set to a

valid power state within the device.To implement IP for low power, the systemdesigner must first identify the power man-agement objectives. In the case of an IoT

device, where the device is turned off forsignificantly longer time periods than it isturned on, leakage power will dominate thepower consumption of the device. In theexample of leakage power dominationprocess selection, ie., where choosing aprocess technology with low leakage is animperative, leaking can be further reducedby implementing the chip with high Vtdevices and using power gating where everpossible.

If the device is turned on for the majority oftime, as in IoT devices such as sensor hubs,dynamic power will dominate. To reduce thedynamic power, voltage and frequency scal-ing should be implemented as a part of thepower management function. In addition,choosing processes and memory IP that canoperate over low voltages, such as operatingin the 0.7 V to 0.8 V regime in a 40nmprocess is highly desirable. A useful schemeto reduce power for a CPU is to close timingbased on reduced values of supply voltage.This is commonly referred to as voltage scal-ing. For example, by operating a MIPS M-Class processor such as the M5150 CPUthrough voltage scaling at 0.95 V as opposedto the minimum voltage of 1.08 V results in apower reduction of 23%.

Table 1: IoT device classification

Table 2: Valid power states

Figure 1: IoT continuum of capabilities

Figure 2: Power management control for IoT


DESIGN IOT

However, a lot of the dynamic power sav-ings would be lost if the wireless communi-cations systems operate inefficiently.Bluetooth Smart (also known as BluetoothLow Energy or BTLE) is positioned for verylow power wireless communications, but thepower reduction comes at the cost ofreduced range point-to-point communica-tions, and low data rates. For applicationsrequiring higher data rates (see Figure 1),Wi-Fi would be a suitable solution.

Imagination has developed a low power Wi-Fi offering including baseband calledEnsigma ‘Whisper’. Low-power Wi-Fi is pos-sible in Whisper by exploiting the low-power aspects within the 802.11 specifica-tion. Whisper can operate 802.11n over asingle 2.4GHz band radio.

SecurityA key requirement for IoT applications issecurity. IoT opens up networks to a varietyof threats as more and more devices areconnected to a network and eventually tothe cloud. Figure 3 shows an example of anIoT device being used for home automationthat is connected to a home network withpossible threats to the network security.At the edge of the network, as multiple IoTdevices are added, the potential threats aregreatly increased. The threats to networkswith connected devices are documented andare newsworthy. The LifX brand of connect-ed LED bulbs have been reported as beingable to leak wireless security information.1)

IoT devices must be capable of providing arobustly secure environment. Security isachieved in the following ways:

• Secure boot• Secure code update• Key protection• Tamper resistance• Access control of secure resources• Secure DMA (Direct Memory Access) with

data encryption for critical functions• Session authentication

Secure bootWhen the IoT device is powered up andbegins execution, the system must start exe-cution with trusted code at boot time. In anIoT system, the trusted execution can beaccomplished by having a secure CPU runtrusted code on-chip. This trusted codemust have its credentials secured from thetime the credentials leave the secured cre-dentialled vault to the time the code isimplemented on the IoT device. The secureboot code must not be capable of beingtampered. Imagination has developed andlicenses IP that provides the secure bootfeature required in IoT systems.

Secure code updateAn IoT device can be hacked by corruptingthe embedded software with malware. Toprotect against this type of attack requiresthe firmware to be properly credentialledand downloaded to the IoT device in asecure manner. The secure update, which isavailable as an intellectual property blockfrom Imagination, is accomplished by meansof including the hardware required on theIoT device to be encapsulated within a cryp-tographic boundary. The updated firmwareis encrypted and downloaded to the IoTdevice where it is decrypted and the cre-

dentials are checked. This is an importantuse case in consumer devices where soft-ware updates are provided for bug fixes(including security improvements) as well asadding additional functional capabilities tothe IoT device.

Key protectionPrivate keys consist of a set of addresses ofOTP (One Time Programmable) memorywhich can be programmed with keys forencryption, authentication and device iden-tifier. The memory needs to be configuredon-chip so that:

• OTP is not accessible via external pins of the IoT SoC device

• OTP memory contents may be encrypted• OTP memory contents are accessible

only by ‘trusted processes’ running on the application processor

Tamper resistanceSimple Power Analysis (SPA), DifferentialPower Analysis 2) (DPA), and High OrderDifferential Power Analysis are techniqueswhereby analysis of the power and otherelectrical emissions from a semiconductordevice can provide information about theencryption techniques and codes used.These emitted signals are a point of attackthat require countermeasures. These attacksare addressed to the CPU and associatedhardware that runs encryption and decryp-tion. MIPS M-Class CPUs are tamper resist-ant by implementing the following counter-measures including user-defined scramblingof the cache memory address and data andinjection of random pipeline stalls.

Access control of secure resourcesIn an IoT system where a device is sendingproprietary data or is engaged in com-merce, the software processes running onthe device are required to have secureaccess to peripherals and memory. This isneeded to maintain security and to ensuremalware cannot access the same informationin memory or on peripherals as may berequired by the secure processes. Considerthe following example where a medicaldevice may measure certain data on an indi-vidual, where such data is controlled by theHIPAA laws in the United States.Also this example assumes that a secondprocess is running that is communicating witha medical insurance company to validateinsurance. In this case there may be multipleprocesses running on the CPU, but there aretwo processes running that are required to

Figure 3: Threats to networked devices

1) For more information, see the article on www.forbes.com/sites/leoking/2014/07/09/ smart-home-these-connected-led-light-bulbs-could-leak-your-wi-fi-password/

2) For more information, see http://www.cryptography.com/public/pdf/DPA.pdf


DESIGN IOT

be secure and isolated. In this type of situa-tion, virtualization is required in order to iso-late the hardware resources committed toeach of the secured processes running on theCPU, as illustrated in Figure 4. MIPS proces-sors support hardware virtualization.

Secure DMADMA transfers to memory in a secure IoTdevice must be encrypted. The DMAengine and associated peripherals andmemory should be encapsulated with in anencryption boundary so that any transfersinto or out of the memory boundary will beencrypted or decrypted respectively.

CPU processing performancerequirementsArchitectural considerations for the CPUperformance for an IoT device will dependon the scope of what the CPU needs to do,as well as hardware security provisions con-tained within the hardware of the CPU. Forexample, for an embedded controller IoTsensor hub system, the following perform-ance requirements would be required.In Table 3, a MIPS M5150 CPU, whichincludes hardware virtualization, is capableand provides 70 DMIPS/MHz to run the sen-

sor interpretation code, the Wi-Fi stack, andinternet communications with a clock speedof about 100 MHz. Most IoT devices will bedesigned with additional CPU capability tosupport additional features to be added viasoftware upgrades. As a result, the perform-

ance of the CPU will need to be scalable,and may also include special pipeline stagesto include special purpose processing that isdeemed necessary in order to be donelocally. The CPU chosen for a specific IoTapplication must not only support the secu-rity features as explained earlier, but mustalso be implemented in a way so that it isscalable in performance to support higherclock frequencies. For certain applications, it

is also beneficial for the CPU to supporthardware multi-threading, as in CPUs suchas the MIPS I-Class processors.

Wireless communicationTypical wireless IoT devices will be enabledby specific standards. The standardsdeployed will depend on (1) the securityrequirements needed, (2) the type of net-work topology to be supported (eg., IP,mesh), and (3) the data rates to be support-ed. The diagram below provides a classifica-tion of IoT network requirements based onsustained data rates. Since Wi-Fi is perva-sively deployed today, most IoT applica-tions will support Wi-Fi.

Also, for LED lighting and applications thatmay span large geographic areas, ZigBeenetworks are used and may be present inIoT systems alongside Wi-Fi. Aside from HDvideo streaming applications such as thoseused in home entertainment or securityvideo monitoring, 802.11n and 1x1 wouldprovide sufficient bandwidth. The 802.11networks will use dual band 2.4 GHz and 5.5GHz frequencies.

For lower power and lower cost implementa-tions, 802.11n can be supported by a singleband 2.4 GHz radio. The lower frequencybands are more desirable since the RF trans-mission provides a greater range for a givenpower level output. By 2016, 802.11ah willbecome available for low data rate/low powerIoT systems with Wi-Fi. This standard will bebased on the 930 MHz frequency band.

Cloud interfaceIn an IoT system, the provision of services bythe cloud will depend on several conditions.Security is a concern for device-to-clouddata transactions. An IoT device will need tosupport data encryption to the cloud viaTLS or HTTPS. The software stack in the IoTdevice will need to support these securitycomponents.

Figure 4: Benefi ts of virtualization

Table 3: Performance budgeting for a sensor hub application


DESIGN IOT

In addition, cloud based communication canuse more lightweight signalling such asCOAP 3) (RFC-7252) and MQTT 4). Compared to HTTP, these lightweight sig-nalling standards are desirable since theywill (1) provide a reduced overhead forcommunicating to the cloud and (2) as thedata communicated is reduced, data trafficon the internet will be reduced comparedto using HTTP.

In addition, the different standards bodieshave emerged to support IoT are aiming todevelop software stacks that can be usedacross platforms.

ThreadThe Thread Group (www.threadgroup.org)has emerged in the development of a soft-ware stack that focuses on networks that areusing 802.15.4 wireless mesh networks.

A key benefit of a mesh network is that if anydevice on the network fails, the network cancontinue to connect and communicate toother devices on the network.

AlljoynThe Allseen Alliance (www.allseenalliance.org)is a nonprofit consortium that is dedicatedto driving the widespread adoption ofproducts, systems and services that support

the IoT with an open, universal develop-ment framework, initially based on theAllJoyn open source project.

Software requirements for IoTStandards bodies, communications stan-dards and security requirements all impactthe elements that are needed for an IoTsoftware stack contained in an IoT deviceSoC.

Cloud client software elements such asthose supporting Imagination’s FlowClouddevice-to-cloud technology, are added tothe IoT device software stack. These ele-ments support specifi c cloud communica-tions requirements as may be required bythe cloud service provider.

Figure 6 is an example of a software stackrequired to support an IoT device.

SummaryAs IoT devices become ubiquitous in net-worked systems, the SoC providers forthese systems will differentiate their prod-ucts based on security, power management,scalable computational performance andcompliance to industry driven standards.

Wireless communications will become inte-grated into the main SoC not only to reducecost, but also to reduce power consumptionand improve system performance. Theinclusion of wireless connectivity and itsassociated software stacks, integrated capa-bilities to do some local analytics, and secu-rity will increase the demand for computa-tional power within the SoC device.

Security at the device and cloud level isrequired for IoT devices, especially thosethat are handling sensitive data such as med-ical data as these devices are communicatingsensitive data to the cloud.

Power management is a significant issue forIoT devices that are mobile or are requiredto be powered by small batteries for anextended period of time. The IP used insuch devices must be designed for lowpower and be easily integrated into SoClevel power management schemes.

Imagination’s CPU, GPU, communications,video and imaging IPs are designed to meetthe most aggressive requirements andopportunities for device differentiation inIoT applications.

￭

Imagination Technologies [email protected]

UK t: +44 1923 260511US t: +1 408 530 5000

Figure 5: IoT applications vs. data rate requirements

Figure 6: IoT software stack example

3) For more information, see http://coap.technology/4) For more information, see http://mqtt.org/


DESIGN HMI

The Latest HMI Solutionsfrom 1D to 3D

Just a few years ago Touch revolutionized input: mechanical buttons, keyboards and sliderswere replaced by static plastic or metal surfaces. It meant that operator interfaces could beincorporated into a device, and unobtrusive and modern design became increasingly commonon the factory floor. The technology - capacitive touch - is based on a capacitor whereby thehuman finger acts as the actuator for the capacitor. Ingenious designs also enable proximityswitches to be implemented as well. In this case the control system is only active shortlybefore it is activated, thus reducing energy consumption. This is known as “1D” input.Then, with the arrival of projective touch and resistive touch technology, the Multi-Touch wasborn. Here, users touch a touchscreen fitted in front of the monitor screen. Touch screencontrollers calculate the touch point coordinates and transmit the data for processing. This ishow “2D” input technology works.

Please Do Not Touch

DESIGN HMI

Touchless controlNow there is “3D” input - gesture control“Our customers often ask for this,” reportsIleana Keges, Product Sales Manager forMicrocontrollers at Rutronik ElektronischeBauelemente GmbH. “It has quite a fewadvantages over standard touch technologies.Sensitive surfaces last longer, sterile surfacesremain sterile. Operators no longer need towear gloves to operate machines from whichoil or corrosive liquids might flow. Microchiphas developed a solution for the purposewhich we are pleased to recommend - theGesticIC MGC3130.” The near-field 3D tracking and motion con-troller is based on patented GestIC® tech-nology from Microchip, which offers highlysensitive detection without blind spots andwith a range of up to 15 cm. The input fieldis created from an electrode field, the e-field sensor, and the MGC3130 microcon-troller analyses the signals. The sensor panel consists of at least fourelectrodes, positioned at right angles to oneanother. They develop an electrical field of3V and maximum 100kHz, which is spread

evenly. If changes occur in the field, causedby hand movements, the sensor will detectthese tiny signal changes. The MGC3130processes the results in real time thanks to its32 bit digital signal processor. The four elec-trodes can register movement in X, Y and Zdirections. From these the MGC3130 calcu-lates the hand movements. “It could be not

only simple movements such as up and down,right and left, but also circular movements andsymbolic gestures, a total of eight different ges-tures,” explained Ileana Keges. This enablesthe machine operator, for example, to openor close a valve by turning an imaginary but-ton or to increase or decrease a fill level bymaking up and down movements.



DESIGN HMI

The distance of maximum 15 cm ensuresthat only the intended motions areprocessed. “Since a conductive object needsto change the electrical fields in order for ges-ture recognition to take place using this tech-nology, ‘false inputs’ caused by light or soundcannot occur”, explained Keges. Automaticself-calibration eliminates potential errors inthe system and ensures consistent precisionthroughout the product's entire life.Any solid, conductive materials can be usedfor the electrodes, for example boards,PCBs or conductive film. “That makes GestICtechnology from Microchip a very cost-effec-tive solution,” said Ileana Keges. Thin materi-als allow the solution to be integrated invisi-bly behind a housing without affecting theentire design of the device. The sensor canbe installed behind non-conductive materi-als, e.g. 1 cm thick glass, plastic or ceramic.The area of the sensor is minimun 25 × 25cm, maximum 140 × 140 cm. This means itcan adjust to existing applications and anupgrade from 1D or 2D to 3D is easy to do.“These different technologies can also becombined if the electrodes are installed as aframe around a display that is also used as atouch interface. A practical application for thisis a control panel with a display and buttons,”continued Ileana Keges. Power uptake in active detection mode andcontinuous operation is just 150μW. Moreover the MGC3130 is fitted with a few

energy-saving features. The ‘approachdetection’ facility provides a proximityswitch. ‘Self-wake-up from sleep’ keeps thechip in self-wake up mode until the proxim-ity sensor recognizes a movement by theuser. Whereupon the system automaticallyswitches into full sensor mode. If the user’shand leaves the detection area, it switchesback to energy-saving mode.

“The sensor’s electrode design requires a cer-tain amount of care, otherwise gestures willnot be clearly recognized. To make develop-ers’ work easier, Microchip supplies the HillstarDevelopment Kit as a reference,” explainedIleana Keges. The Hillstar contains not onlythe GestIC® technology but also the Colibri

Suite. The latter is used to set customer-spe-cific parameters. This provides high-resolu-tion X/Y/Z hand position tracking data suchas stroke, circular and symbolic gestures atthe digital output of the MCG3130.At entry level Microchip offers a number ofdemo-kits, such as a light control system. Instand-alone mode the MGC3130 controls abar of LEDs by hand movement.

The individual LEDs can be switched on andoff in sequence. A circular hand movementcontrols light intensity. This is made possiblewith feature-rich ‘Aurea’ GUI software. Notonly does this enable the MGC3130’s param-eters to be set; it also simplifies the updatingand saving process.


DESIGN

“Customers to whom we have presented thissystem were very enthusiastic. Particularly forapplications where machine operators weargloves, whether during a medical interventionor on the factory floor, it is the ideal solution,”said Keges.

Optical solutionsAside from the GestIC® technology fromMicrochip, Rutronik also offers gesture con-trol systems by Vishay and Osram. “Howeverit is not possible to compare them becausethey are based on an entirely different princi-ple”, clarified Ileana Keges. Vishay and Osramopted for an optical solution. The proximitysensor / gesture control board by Vishay isbased on the VCNL4020 proximity andambient light sensor. With a radiance inten-sity of typically 80mW/sr at 200mA, itenables hand gestures to be detected up to15cm above the sensor board. The move-ment is recognized by comparing theinfrared signals on every transmitter. If theinfrared light transmitted from an object,such as a hand, reflects, the VCNL4020 prox-imity sensor captures the reflection. Toenable the signals from the different trans-mitters to be identified, they are multi-plexed, i.e. they are cycled in rapid succes-sion, one after the other. The proximity sig-nal is output via the I2C interface betweenpulses. If a hand is located close to theboard, it throws back a stronger signal fromthe transmitter above which it is situated. Ifthe hand moves over and along the board,the signals from the other transmitters riseaccordingly. This time difference in signalstrength can now be analyzed in order todetect a movement and its direction.

GestIC® technology by Microchip is a unitconsisting of a sensor surface and theMGC3130 Gestic IC. The maximum distanceat which a gesture is recognized is 15cm.In comparison, the optical version alsorequires a microcontroller to analyze theoutgoing signals via the I2C interface.

An advantage of the optical solution is thelarger distance (25cm) at which hand move-ments can be detected.

“Since gestures are the most natural move-ment, 3D control will start to be used in evenmore ways, from applications inside domesticliving spaces, and inside the car, to care andresidential homes, hospitals and many more.”￭

Rutronikwww.rutronik.com


MikroElektronika & FTDI Chip Introduce Multi-FacetedFT90X MCU Development PlatformFTDI Chip technology partner MikroElektronika has announced the release of a completeecosystem of development products to support the FT90X series of 32-bit application-optimized microcontroller units (MCUs). Through these products, which incorporate bothhardware and software elements, engineers will be able to harness the full potential ofFT90X MCU devices and make more inspiring embedded system designs. MikroElektronika’s comprehensive FT90X ecosystem consists of:

• The 266mm x 220mm format EasyFT90X development board, which has an FT900MCU, on-board CMOS camera, 3.5-inch 320x240 pixel resolution TFT display withtouch screen, a microSD card slot and a vast array of I/O options, allowing it to interfacewith a variety of different external sensors and other items of hardware. Also includedon this board are a mikroProg Fast USB 2.0 programmer and an in-circuit debugger, plusa range of simple MikroElektronika compiler examples. The board has a power con-sumption of less than 80mA if peripheral modules are not connected. • The credit card-sized Clicker 2 board which can connect to an ever-expanding varietyof different add-on modules called click™ boards (with over 100 to choose from current-ly) via its two mikroBUS™ sockets. As well as an FT90X MCU (preprogrammed with aUSB-HID bootloader), a USB Mini-B connector, 2 LED indicators, 2 configurable push-buttons, plus 32kHz and 12MHz oscillators are featured.• Covering all three main programming languages, the mikroC, mikroBasic and mikroPascalcompilers fully support the FT90X and are suitable for use with both the EasyFT90X andClicker 2 boards, as well as for standalone FT90X system designs. These are the first dedi-cated FT90X compilers on the market. They support more than 500 functions and havemore than 150 examples out of the box, making them easy to use.FTDI CHIP www.ftdichip.comMIKROELEKTRONIKA www.mikroe.com

Kontron introduced the latest member of theKBox series at embedded world 2015, theKBox A-103. The design of the embeddedbox PC is very compact and, due to the pow-erful hardware, ideal for use in factory automa-tion systems. The robust construction alsomeans it is also suitable for use in the harshest industrial environments. The fan- and cable-free box PCs stand out due to a long service life and low power consumption. Long-termavailability, no maintenance and a comprehensive service round off the product. What’smore, the box can be equipped with industrial I/Os, field buses and/or industrial Ethernetinterfaces. With the tried-and-tested “maintenance-free” design, the KBox A-103 does notrequire any additional batteries for operation, it is very reliable (high MTBF), easily adaptsto customer requirements, and comes with extensive diagnosis functions such as Kontron’sEmbedded Application Programming Interface (KEAPI) 3.5. Developers benefit from alibrary of API functions, which provide hardware information on all new Kontron embeddedplatforms. These functions ensure the total cost of ownership (TCO) is kept to a minimum.The new KBox A-103 is equipped with scalable SMARC modules, which have the latestIntel® Embedded-Power-Atom™ processors, up to E3845. KONTRON www.kontron.com

embedded world 2015: Kontron presents a newIoT capable member of the KBox family

20

Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP)Package DescriptionWafer Level Chip Scale Package refers to the technology of packag-ing an integrated circuit at the wafer level, instead of the traditionalprocess of assembling individual units in packages after dicing themfrom a wafer. This process is an extension of the wafer Fab process-es, where the device interconnects and protection are accom-plished using the traditional fab processes and tools. In the finalform, the device is a die with an array pattern of bumps or solderballs attached at an I/O pitch that is compatible with traditional cir-cuit board assembly processes. WLCSP is a true chip-scale packag-ing (CSP) technology, since the resulting package is of the same sizeof the die (Figure 1). WLCSP technology differs from other ball-grid

array (BGA) and laminate-based CSPs in that no bond wires or inter-poser connections are required. The key advantages of the WLCSPis the die to PCB inductance is minimized, reduced package size, andenhanced thermal conduction characteristics.

Typical WLCSP Configurations and DimensionsAvailable WLCSP packages from Freescale range from 2.0 × 2.0 mmto 5.29 × 5.28 mm in size, with a standard pitch of 0.40mm and astandard solder ball diameter of 0.250mm. The physical outlines of

This document provides guidelines to use the Wafer Level Chip Scale Package(WLCSP) to ensure consistent Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly necessary toachieve high yield and reliability. However, variances in manufacturing equipment,processes, and circuit board design for a specific application may lead to a combinationwhere other process parameters yield a superior performance. Guidelines for packageperformance information such as Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) rating, board levelreliability, and thermal resistance data are included as reference.

This document contains generic information that encompasses Wafer Level ChipScale Packages (WLCSP). It should be noted that device specific information is con-tained in Datasheet. This document serves only as a guideline to help develop a userspecific solution. Actual experience and development efforts are still required tooptimize the process per individual device requirements and practices.

Figure 1: WLCSP Packages Available from Freescale Table 1: Die size for WLCSP Arrays at 0.40mm Pitch

Freescale SemiconductorApplication Note


DESIGN MCUs

Wafer Level Chip Scale Package

(WLCSP)

2121

WLCSP packages are dynamic since those depend on actual diesize. Therefore, users of devices in these packages must exercisegreater care in utilization than with more standardized packages.Refer to Table 1 for details regarding die sizes for standard solderball arrays at 0.40mm pitch, which complies to JEDEC Publication 95,Design Guide 4.18 [1] and JEDEC Standard MO-211. [2]The PCB layout and stencil designs are critical to ensure sufficientsolder coverage between the package and the Printed Circuit Board(PCB). When designing the PCB layout, refer to the Freescale caseoutline drawing to obtain the package dimensions and tolerances.

WLCSP ConstructionRefer to Figure 2 for a representation of a typical WLCSP packagewith a RDL layer between two dielectric layers. A WLCSP die has afirst layer of dielectric, a Copper metal redistribution layer (RDL) tore-route the signal path from the die peripheral to a solder ball pad,and a second dielectric layer to cover the RDL metal, which in turn ispatterned into the solder ball array. The solder ball is a lead-free alloy.

Process FlowA typical WLCSP process flow is illustrated Figure 3. The illustrationdisplays the process for a two-layer RDL process, with the RDL metallayer between two dielectric layers.

Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Level GuidelinesPCB Design GuidelinePCB design requirements are based on IPC-A-600 [3] standards. Foroptimum electrical performance and highly reliable solder joints,Freescale recommends the PCB and stencil design guidelines listedin Table 2.

PCB Land Design GuidelinesSolder Mask Defined (SMD) pads are defined by the solder maskopening on the board pad as shown in Figure 4. The opening of the

solder mask is smaller than the underlying copper area for solderingto the associated bump. A Non-Solder Mask Defined (NSMD) pad hasa solder mask opening larger than the copper pad. There are manyfactors influencing whether the PCB designer uses SMD or NSMDpads. Either type can successfully be used with WLCSP packages.Freescale recommends using NSMD pads for thermal fatigue andSMD pads for drop test performance. Fillets where the trace connectsto the Cu pad are recommended, especially with NSMD pads.

Via-In-Pad StructuresThe need for via-in-pad structures will generally be determined bythe design. Via-in-pad designs typically result in voids and inconsis-tent solder joints after reflow, leading to early failures. These voids aredue to trapped air in the via. If via-in-pad structures must be used, itis recommended to use filled vias. As with any PCB, the quality andexperience of the vendor is very important with via-in-pad designs.

Stencil Design GuidelineDue to the fine pitch and small terminal geometry used on WLCSP,particular attention must be paid to the paste printing process. Inprocess inspection for paste height, percent pad coverage, and regis-tration accuracy to solderable land patterns is highly recommended.

Solder Stencil Design and FabricationStencils should be laser cut stainless steel with Nickel plating or elec-troformed Cobalt or Chromium hardened Nickel for repeatable sol-der paste deposition from ultra small apertures required by smallpitch packages. It is recommended to inspect the stencil openingsfor burrs and other quality issues prior to use. Both square andround shaped apertures have been used successfully, howeversquare shaped aperture openings provide more consistent pasteprinting and transfer efficiency when compared to round openings.Corners may be rounded to prevent clogging. 1:1 aperture to padratio is recommended for SnAgCu alloys.

www.epd-ee.eu | March, 2015 | EP&Dee

Figure 2: Typical Polymer-RDL WLCSP Construction

Figure 3: Typical WLCSP Process Flow

Figure 4: NSMD and SMD Designs for WLCSP PCB Terminal

Table 2: Recommended PCB Pad and Stencil Parameters

DESIGN WLCSP


For 0.40mm pitch WLCSP devices, use aperture aspect ratio of > =0.66, with 0.25mm × 0.25mm square openings (25 micron cornerradius) for improved solder paste deposition repeatability.Aperture aspect ratio is defined as the aperture opening area divid-ed by the aperture side wall surface area.A 0.100mm (4-mil) thick stainless steel stencil is recommended.When these stencil design requirements conflict with otherrequired SMT components in a mixed technology PCB assembly, astep-down stencil process may be utilized in compliance with IPC-7525 [4] design standards.

PCB AssemblyAssembly Process FlowA typical Surface Mount Technology (SMT) process flow is depictedin Figure 5.

WLCSP PCB Assembly GuidelineScreen Printing: Solder Paste MaterialUse of Type 4 (25 to 36 micron solder sphere particle size) or finersolder paste is recommended and a low halide (< 100ppm halides)No-Clean rosin/resin flux system be used to eliminate post-reflowassembly cleaning operations.

Component PlacementThe WLCSP package is comparatively small in size. For better accuracy,it is recommended to use automated fine-pitch placement machineswith vision alignment instead of chip-shooters to place the parts. Localfiducials are required on the board to support the vision systems.Pick and Place systems using mechanical centering are not recommend-ed due to the high potential for mechanical damage to the WLCSPdevice. Ensure minimal pick-and-place force is used to avoid damage,with all vertical compression forces controlled and monitored. Z-heightcontrol methods are recommended over force control. Freescale rec-ommends the use of low-force nozzle options and compliant tip mate-rials to further avoid any physical damage to the WLCSP device.Use only vacuum pencil with compliant tip material whenever man-ual handling is required.All assemblers of WLCSP components are encouraged to conductplacement accuracy studies to provide factual local knowledge aboutcompensations needed for this package type. Freescale cannot antic-ipate the range of placement equipment and settings possible forpackage placement and therefore cannot make a generic recommen-dation on how to compensate for WLCSP interchangeability.

Reflow SolderingTemperature profile is the most important control in reflow solder-ing and it must be fine tuned to establish a robust process. The actu-al profile depends on several factors, including complexity or prod-ucts, oven type, solder type, temperature difference across the PCB,oven and thermocouple tolerances, etc. All of Freescale's WLCSPdevices are qualified at Moisture Sensitivity Level 1 at 260°C. Themaximum temperature at the component body should not exceedthis level. Actual reflow temperature settings need to be deter-mined by the end-user, based on thermal loading effects and on sol-der paste vendor recommendations.

Rework ProcedureWLCSP components removed during PCB rework should not bereused for final assemblies. Freescale follows standard componentlevel qualifications for packages/components and these includethree solder reflows survivability. A package that has been attachedto a PCB and then removed has seen two solder reflows and if thePCB is double sided, the package has seen three solder reflows.Thus the package is at or near the end of the tested and qualifiedrange of known survivability. These removed WLCSP componentsshould be properly disposed of so that they will not mix in withknown good WLCSP components.The rework process for WLCSP devices is similar for typical BGAand CSP packages:

• To remove the faulty component from the board, hot air should beapplied from the top and bottom heaters. An air nozzle of correct size should be used to conduct the heat to the WLCSP componentsuch that the vacuum pick up tool can properly remove the component. It is recommended to apply top and bottom heaters simultaneously for 30 seconds at 300°C and 150°C, respectively. Many assembly sites have extensive in-house knowledge on reworkand their experts should be consulted for further guidance.

• Once the WLCSP component is removed, the site is cleaned and dressed to prepare for the new component placement. A de-soldering station can be used for solder dressing. It should be noted that the applied temperature should not be > 245°C, otherwise the copper pad on the PCB may peel off.

• A mini-stencil with the same stencil thickness, aperture opening andpattern as the normal stencil should be used. Apply a gel or tacky flux using a mini-metal squeegee blade. The printed pads should be inspected to ensure even and sufficient solder paste before component placement.

• A vacuum nozzle is used to pick the new package up, and accuratelyplace it using a vision alignment placement tool. A split light systemthat displays images of both the WLCSP leads and the footprint on the PCB is recommended.

The replaced component is then soldered to the PCB using a tem-perature profile similar to the normal reflow soldering process.

Moisture Sensitivity Level RatingThe Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) indicates the floor life of thecomponent and its storage conditions after the original containerhas been opened. The lower the MSL value, the less care is neededto store the components. Table 3 depicts the best case MSL for eachpackage size. All WLCSP devices at Freescale Semiconductor areMSL1, testing in accordance with IPC/JEDEC J-STD-020D. [5]

* Note: Please refer to Freescale Semiconductor web site for specificproduct MSL and package information, including JEDEC MSL.

DESIGN MCUs

Figure 5: SMT Process Flow

Table 3: WLCSP MSL Capability

Board Level ReliabilityThe board level reliability is usually presented in terms of solderjoint life. The solder joint results in this section utilized the boardlayout guidelines from Section (PCB Design Guideline).

Testing DetailsSamples of WLCSP in daisy chain format were used to study the sol-der joint reliability. BGA pairs were routed together in the WLCSPRDL layer, with a complementary pattern designed on the test PCBto provide one electrical circuit (net) through the package when thepackage is attached to the test PCB, as illustrated in Figure 6.

Solder Joint Reliability (SJR) ResultsAssembled PCBs can be temperature cycled at a variety of tempera-ture ranges. The most common test condition for small devices such asthese at Freescale is JEDEC Condition 'G' [6] (-40°C/+125°C), with 15minute dwell times for a typical frequency of one cycle per hour.Freescale has the capability of continuously monitoring the resist-ance through a daisy chain package and its complementary test PCB.Failure is defined as resistance through the daisy chain net of 300Ohms or greater. Daisy chain nets are tested (time zero testing) priorto temperature cycling.

Freescale continues to work on understanding and improving the sol-der joint reliability of WLCSP packages. From the various experiments,the solder joint reliability performances for the different package size,lead count, die thickness, and solder material are shown in Table 4. Allexperiments were performed using similar size test boards.

An alternate condition (0/100 °C) was also evaluated. This conditionemployed 10 min ramp and dwell times, providing 1.5 cycles perhour. Results for this condition are shown in Table 5.

Underfill

Data on underfill was collected on a 5.29 × 5.28mm die size withSAC1205 0.25mm diameter solder spheres. Careful selection ofunderfill material is critical for enhancing BLR performance of WLCSPpackages. Selecting an underfill with too high a CTE can result inworse BLR performance than no underfill. Underfilling can significant-ly increase the solder joint reliability of WLCSP packages. A compari-son of non-underfill vs underfilled results for a 5.29 × 5.28mm die sizeshows a 7X improvement in cycles to 1st failure (201 vs 1421).

Mechanical Drop TestWLCSP parts were tested per JEDEC's JESD22-B111 Drop TestSpecification [7]. The drop test set-up, board layout, fixtures, andcriteria are all based on the JESD22-B111. All drops are carried outin the -Z direction (package down). The peak acceleration is 1500gfor 0.5 ms (half-sine pulse). The resistance at time zero and still stateafter the drop are recorded. Resistance data was collected in-situthroughout the dropping process, with maximum resistance datarecorded during the drop. The failure criteria is 100 Ohms for 200nano-seconds, recorded 3 times during 5 consecutive drops.From the various experiments, the drop test performances for thedifferent package sizes and lead counts are shown in Table 6.

Package Thermal ResistancesThe thermal performance of WLCSP is characterized using twothermal board types and three boundary conditions:

Board Types:

1. Single Signal Layer - 1s (designed per JEDEC EIA / JESD51-3 [8].2. Two Signal Layers, Two Internal Planes - 2s2p (designed per

JEDEC EIA / JESD51-5 [9] and JEDEC EIA / JESD51-7 [10]

Thermal Resistance Boundary Conditions:1. Junction-to Ambient (Theta-JA)2. Junction-to-Board (Theta-JB)3. Junction-to-Case (Theta-JC)

These thermal resistances help bound the thermal problem underdistinct environments.

DESIGN WLCSP


Figure 7: Underfill Selection

Figure 6:Example WLCSP / PCB Daisy Chain Routing (Not to Scale)

Table 4: WLCSP Solder Joint Reliability (-40°C / +125°C)

Table 6: WLCSP Drop Test Results

Table 5: WLCSP Solder Joint Reliability (0 / 100 °C)

DESIGN MCUs

Junction-to Ambient (Theta-JA)Junction-to-ambient thermal resistance (Theta-JA JEDECEIA/JESD51-2 [11]) is a one-dimensional value that measures theconduction of heat from the junction (hottest temperature on die)to the environment near the package. The heat that is generated onthe die surface reaches the immediate environment along twopaths: (1) convection and radiation off the exposed surface of thepackage and (2) conduction into and through the test board fol-lowed by convection and radiation off the exposed board surfaces.Theta-JA is reported with two parameters, depending on the boardtype used: R JA and R JMA. R JA and R JMA help bound the thermalperformance of the WLCSP package in a customer's application.

• R JA measures the thermal performance of the package on a low conductivity test board (single signal layer - 1s) in a natural convection environment. The 1s test board is designed per JEDEC EIA/JESD51-3 and JEDEC EIA/JESD51-5. R JA helps estimate the thermal performance of the WLCSP when it is mounted in two distinct configurations: (1) a board with no internal thermal planes (i.e., low conductivity board) or (2) when a multi-layer board is tightly populated with similar components.

• R JMA measures the thermal performance of the package on a board with two signal layers and two internal planes (2s2p). The 2s2p test board is designed per JEDEC EIA/JESD51-5 and JEDEC EIA/JESD51-7. R JMA provides the thermal performance of the package when there are no nearby components dissipating significant amounts of heat on a multi-layer board.

Junction-to-Board (Theta-JB)Junction-to-board thermal resistance (Theta-JB or R JB per JEDECEIA/JESD51-8 [12]) is also provided for the WLCSP. R JB measuresthe horizontal spreading of heat between the junction and theboard. The board temperature is taken 1 mm from the package ona board trace located on the top surface of the board.

Junction-to-Case (Theta-JC)Another thermal resistance that is provided is junction-to-case ther-mal resistance (Theta-JC or R JC). The case is defined at the exposedpad surface. R JC can be used to estimate the thermal performance

of the WLCSP package when the board is adhered to a metal hous-ing or heat sink and a complete thermal analysis is done.Table 7 has some thermal information for certain WLCSP packages[13]. All of the data was generated using Silicon (Si) die. There is aninverse relationship between the body size of the package and thethermal resistances. Large packages have lower R JMA values. Thegreater the body size the more PTH vias will fit under the package.

Notes:1. Junction temperature is a function of die size, on-chip power

dissipation, package thermal resistance, mounting site (board) temperature, ambient temperature, power dissipation of other components on the board, and board thermal resistance.

2. JEDEC EIA/JESD51-2 with the single layer board horizontal. Board conforms to JEDEC EIA/JESD51-3 and JEDEC EIA/JESD51-5.

3. Per JEDEC JESD51-6 [14] with the board horizontal. Board conforms to JEDEC EIA/JESD51-5 and JEDEC EIA/JESD51-7.

4. Thermal resistance between the die and the printed circuit board per JEDEC EIA/JESD51-8. Board temperature is measured on the top surface of the board near the package.

￭

www.freescale.com


References[1] JEDEC Publication 95, Design Guide 4.18, Wafer Level Ball Grid Arrays (WLBGA), Issue. A, September, 20004.[2] JEDEC MO211, “Die Size Ball Grid Array, Fine Pitch, Thin/Very Thin/Extremely Thin Profile”, June 2004.[3] ANSI/IPC-A-600G, “Acceptability of Printed Boards”, July 2004.[4] IPC-7525, “Stencil Design Guidelines”, May 2007.[5] IPC/JEDEC J-STD-020D.1, “Moisture/Reflow Sensitivity Classification for Nonhermetic Solid State Surface Mount Devices”, May 2008.[6] JEDEC JESD-A104C, “Temperature Cycling”, May 2005.[7] JEDEC JESD-B111, “Board Level Drop Test Method of Components For Handheld Electronic Products”, July 2003.[8] EIA/JESD51-3, “Low Effective Thermal Conductivity Test Board for Leaded Surface Mount Packages,” August 1996.[9] EIA/JESD51-5, “Extension of Thermal Test Board Standards for Packages with Direct Thermal Attachment Mechanisms,” February 1999.

[10] EIA/JESD51-7, “High Effective Thermal Conductivity Test Board for Leaded Surface Mount Packages,” February 1999.[11] EIA/JESD51-2, “Integrated Circuits Thermal Test Method Environment Conditions - Natural Convection (Still Air)”, December 1995.[12] EIA/JESD51-8, “Integrated Circuit Thermal Test Method Environmental Conditions - Junction-to-Board”, October 1999.[13] V. Chiriac, “Wafer Level CSP Thermal Performance Evaluation”, Freescale Semiconductor, August 2008.[14] EIA/JESD 51-6, “Integrated Circuits Thermal Test Method Environment Conditions - Forced Convection (Moving Air),” March 1999.

Table 7: WLCSP Thermal Performance



Maxim Integrated Demonstrated Highly IntegratedAnalog Solutions at Embedded World 2015

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. demonstrated highly integrated analogsolutions for embedded applications atthe Embedded World 2015 Exhibitionand Conference in Nuremberg, Germany(February 24–26, 2015). Organized inthree demo areas for Industrial Power,Industrial Interface, and Signal Chain,Maxim’s solutions showed systems engineers how to simplify designs andget to market faster.

Industrial Power• Step-down DC-DC converters eliminateexternal components and reduce total cost.A “demo in a box” features Maxim’sHimalaya series of highly efficient, 4.5V to60V, synchronous DC-DC buck regulatorsfrom 25mA to 3.5A: MAX17552,MAX15062, and MAX17501 / MAX17502 /MAX17503 / MAX17504 / MAX17505. • Cooler, smaller, and simpler DC-DC step-down power modules reduce design com-plexity, manufacturing risks, and time tomarket. The Himalaya series pin-to-pin-compatible power modules, MAXM17503 /MAXM17504 / MAXM17505, integrateinductors, resistors, capacitors, and high-efficiency DC-DC step-down buck regula-tors. They operate over a 4.5V to 60Vrange. Customers can start with modulesand migrate to ICs for volume production.

Industrial Interface• Symmetric key-based secure authentica-tor provides the most secure key storagepossible. The MAX66242 DeepCover®SHA-256 secure authenticator configuresand collects data from any embedded sys-tem through its NFC/RFID ISO/IEC 15693and/or I²C (master/slave) interfaces.• Contactless communication secures sensi-tive data with the power of SHA-256authentication. The MAX66300 is theindustry's first HF RFID transceiver withintegrated SHA-256 engine for secure chal-lenge-and-response authentication. • Highly configurable IO-Link® transceiverensures robust communications with IO-Link sensors and actuators. The MAX14826

IO-Link transceiver supports all specifiedIO-Link data rates, integrates multiple pro-tection solutions, and is ideal for Industry4.0 applications.

Signal Chain• Programmable analog offers more versa-tility for industrial control and automation,IoT, base-station RF controllers, and power-supply monitoring applications. The award-winning MAX11300 mixed-signal PIXI™input/output (I/O) brings programmabilityto high-integration analog applications. It isthe industry's first configurable, 20-channel,-10V to +10V high-voltage mixed-signal IC.• High 20-bit accuracy ensures confidencein measurement results. The MAX11905 isthe fastest 20-bit, 1.6Msps successiveapproximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). It saves up to 91%power and up to 50% space, with the bestTHD of -123dB at 10kHz. • Low-noise, low-distortion drivers opti-mize the high speed, high accuracy of SARADCs. The MAX44205/MAX44206 low-noise and low-power op amps drive high-speed SAR ADCs. Their wide supply rangeand wide bandwidth are ideal for low-power, high-performance data acquisitionsystems (DAS).

• High resolution ADC is ideal for instru-mentation applications that require ultra-low noise. The MAX11270 is an easy-to-use,24-bit, 10mW, 64ksps delta-sigma ADC withintegrated programmable gain amplifier(PGA); it offers the highest signal-to-noiseratio (SNR) and lowest power in its class. • Get high-resolution, 24-bit accuracy forweighing mass in a wide range of industrialapplications. The MAXREFDES75#, a 24-bitweigh scale reference design, features the24-bit MAX11270 delta-sigma ADC. TheMAX11270 is ideal for process control, auto-matic test equipment (ATE), medical instru-mentation, and battery-powered devices. • Ultra-robust, 5KVrms, 4-channel digitalisolators transfer digital signals between cir-cuits with different power and grounddomains, where noise isolation, groundloop mitigation, and/or safety are of con-cern. Industry’s only 1.8V supply capableisolators, the MAX14930 /MAX14931/MAX14932 / MAX14934 / MAX14935 /MAX14936 deliver best-in-class propaga-tion delay of up to 30% better and pulsewidth distortion of up to 50% better thancompetitors.

MAXIM INTEGRATEDwww.maximintegrated.com


OverviewKinetis mini MCUs are Freescale’s smallest, ARM Powered® devices, beingshipped in a variety of wafer-level chip-scale packages (WLCSPs). TheseMCUs are offered in industry-leading miniature packages, providing massivedesign potential for today’s embedded designers. Freescale’s WLCSP tech-nology development has enabled smaller packages, with greater functional-ity, than previously seen in the market.The Kinetis mini portfolio, which to-date has globally shipped in the mil-lions, now include the Kinetis KL03 CSP—the world’s smallest ARM-basedMCU—shrinking its predecessor by 15%, further enabling customers toreduce the size of their embedded applications.

Kinetis Wafer-Level Chip-Scale MCUs

Driving innovation with tiny, industry-leading packages.

DESIGN MCUs

32-bit Microcontrollers

Kinetis Mini MCUs Wafer-Level Chip-Scale Package Portfolio

Target Applications• Intelligent wearables• Portable medical monitoring• Remote monitoring• Tablet and phone accessories

Did You Know?• 19,000 Kinetis mini MCUs fit on

a piece of paper (U.S. letter size).

• 23,000 Kinetis mini MCUs fill a golf ball.

• 3.2 million Kinetis mini MCUs fill a soccer ball.


Technical FeaturesThe Kinetis mini portfolio of products areassembled at the wafer level, creating thesmallest form-factor package possible. Theyrequire no wire bonds or substrate inter-posers and use solder balls, directly attachedto the silicon, to make the PCB connection.

Please refer to our Wafer-level ChipscalePackage (AN3846) Application Note onfreescale.com for more detailed technicalinformation.

Software and ToolsIntegrated DevelopmentEnvironments (IDE)

• Kinetis Design Studio IDE• IAR Embedded Workbench, Keil MDK,

Atollic, GCC• Online enablement with ARM mbed™

development platform

Kinetis Software DevelopmentKit (SDK)

• Extensive suite of robust HAL, peripheraldrivers, stacks and middleware, with supporting software examples

• Operating system abstraction (OSA) for Freescale MQX™ RTOS, FreeRTOS, and

Micrium uC/OS kernels and baremetal (no RTOS) applications

• Complimentary Processor expert softwareconfiguration tool providing IO allocation,pin initialization and configuration of hardware abstraction and peripheral drivers

• Full ARM ecosystem support

Tower System Development PlatformsThe Tower System is a modular, open-sourced development platform with reusableperipheral modules, offering connectivity,analog, graphics LCD and motor control func-tionality. Featuring more than 50 modules,the Tower System provides designers withbuilding blocks for their MCU development.

• Tower plug-in (TWRPI) socket• OpenSDA debug circuit with virtual

serial port• Tower System elevator modules and

Tower System peripheral modules available for additional system capability

Learn more at freescale.com/Tower.

Freescale FreedomDevelopment PlatformsThe Freescale Freedom development plat-form is a small, low-power, cost-effective

evaluation and development system. Theplatform offers an easy-to-use mass-storagedevice mode flash programmer, a virtualserial port and classic programming and runcontrol capabilities.

• Designed in an industry-standard compact form factor, with select boards compatible with Arduino R3, as well as third-party expansion boards.

• Easy access to the MCU I/O pins• Integrated open standard serial and

debug interface (OpenSDA)

Learn more at freescale.com/Freedom.

For more information about Kinetis mini MCUs, please visit:freescale.com/Kinetisminis

Freescale, the Freescale logo, CodeWarrior, Kinetis and Processor Expert are trademarks ofFreescale Semiconductor, Inc., Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm.Off. Tower is a trademark of FreescaleSemiconductor, Inc. All other product or servicenames are the property of their respective owners. ARM is the registered trademark of ARMLimited. ARM Powered, Cortex-M0+ and Cortex-M4 are trademarks of ARM Limited. © 2013, 2014 Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.

DESIGN WLCSP

ARM® Cortex®- M0+ - based Kinetis Mini MCUs

ARM® Cortex® - M4 - based Kinetis Mini MCUs

Please note: This table is for reference only. Please refer to technical documentation for official package dimensions and product features.* WLCSP pitch is 0.35mm, versus the standard WLCSP pitch of 0.40mm


DESIGN POWER

Three DimensionsToday’s DC/DC power converter bricks stillwidely use a planar and two-dimensionalPCB construction, but applications thatrequire smaller footprints, lower profiles andreduced parasitic impedances are drivingdemands for high-density 3D packaging.While its use is limited in high-power brickstoday, there are many possibilities in embed-ding both active and passive components viamethods such as chip stacking, packagestacking and component embeddingthrough over-moulding. These can offer sig-nificant gains in footprint reduction,enhanced cooling possibilities and the posi-tioning of drivers in close proximity toswitching devices. This will enable improve-ments in performance and efficiency by min-imization and the precise control of intercon-nect parasitic impedances in high-frequencyswitching circuit designs. Subsequent 3D

assembly of additional components will fur-ther contribute to reducing footprint andalso the size of magnetic components.

ComponentsSwitching frequencies for high-power con-verters are generally optimized for opera-tion of approximately 500kHz or below, butto enable size reduction and an increase inpower density, a switching frequency of2MHz and above will be necessary to mini-mize the magnetic physical volume. Therecent availability of wide-band-gap (WBG)semiconductor components such as GaNand GaAs based switching FETs, ideallyoperating at higher frequencies in excess of5MHz, is certainly an enabler for higherswitching frequencies. In fact, new topolo-gies may even increase switching frequen-cies well into the 10MHz range, therebydriving requirements for packaging with

reduced parasitic components, which canbe achieved using 3D integration tech-niques.

However, higher switching speed is depen-dant on the availability of low-loss high-fre-quency magnetic materials, leading topower transformer and inductor solutionsthat are suitable for high-volume produc-tion. There are several viable technologypaths to higher-frequency miniaturized andintegrated magnetic components includingadvanced magnetic-core designs and corematerials, as well as air-core designs that arenot dependent on core material characteris-tics. This means that there is also flexibility inproduction methods and the possibility touse different 3D integration techniques suchas embedded windings in multi-layer PCBand multi-layer ferrite substrate with inte-grated active Cu layers (see figure 1).

Developing advanced packaging to meet increased needs for higherpower density in power modules

Increased processing density in high-end data server designs with the cramming of more andmore silicon on to PCBs continues to have an impact on power supply systems. For example,power per board demand from ICT (Information and Communications Technology) servershas increased from 300W in the early 1980s to more than 1kW today – and it is expectedthat power per board of 3 to 5kW will be required by the end of this decade. In addition,equipment will be required to occupy less space, implying a higher overall power density.Current DC/DC power converter technologies are not adequate at these levels of power andalthough a 1kW converter can be accommodated in a quarter-brick format today, thedeployment of 3D packaging, the highly integrated embedding of components andenhanced thermal management technologies will be needed to produce, for example, a 1kWconverter in an eighth-brick format.

Author: Patrick Le Fèvre, Marketing and Communication Director at Ericsson Power Modules


DESIGN POWER

While these techniques are largely limitedto lower power converters, furtherimprovements in core materials and expan-sion into products with increasing outputcurrent will be enabled by improvedprocesses for magnetic materials. In addi-tion, the ultimate goal of integrating themagnetics within the semiconductor wafer ispossible in the future.

Thermal ManagementPower density, in terms of watts per cm3, isnow an order of magnitude higher than itwas 15 years ago. And the latest powerbricks (see figure 2, as an example) can placesome very high demands on efficient inter-nal thermal management.

Clearly, it is essential to ensure components inhigh-power-density bricks are cooled – usual-ly via mechanisms such as conduction andconvection – for operation at reasonable tem-peratures, otherwise semiconductor deviceperformance and system reliability may becompromised. Component power dissipation(Pd, comp) and component junction to casethermal resistance (Rth, J-C) for each criticalcomponent becomes extremely important asthey determine the actual junction tempera-ture that limits the DC/DC converter’s thermalperformance. The temperature differencebetween the component junction (or core)and case can be calculated using: ΔTJ-C = Pd, comp × Rth, J-C

Advanced cooling technologies and tech-niques that improve the thermal perform-ance of new and emerging 3D packagingassemblies that aim to double power densi-ty (to 75W/cm3 or 1200W/in3) are absolute-ly crucial and ultimately will determine thefeasibility of higher power densities.However, many standard components are

not suitable for high-density or 3D designsdue to insufficient thermal performance.And other thermal design challenges willinclude high-current distribution, assemblyon 45-layer boards for example, and theinadequacy of even greatly enhanced tradi-tional cooling techniques such as existingair-blown convection.

Figure 1: Embedded windings in multi-layer PCB and multi-layer ferrite substrate with integrated active Cu layers

Figure 2: Ericsson’s 864W high-power-density quarter-brick modules offer 37W/cm3 (600W/in3)

Telecom, wide inputrange (36V - 75V)


DESIGN POWER

Over-moulding is likely to continue as atechnology used for improving thermal per-formance, but it is also clear that thermallyenhanced packaging for all power compo-nents, including magnetic components andcapacitors, will be required to allow coolingfrom at least two opposite surfaces, togeth-er with the use of improved thermal materi-als, processes and cooling techniques.

As shown in figure 3, instead of mountingpower components on a PCB with die attachor thermal interface material, the componentsare held on a temporary carrier and a heatsink is electroformed around them.

Components of various sizes and thicknessescan be integrated on the same board, calledan Integrated Thermal Array Plate (ITAP).

When the carrier is removed, the bottom andtop surfaces of the components are co-planarand facilitate a defined and optimised thermalconnection. Improvements in thermal resist-ance of up to 50%, (i.e. 50% higher power dis-sipation for a fixed TJ) can be achieved com-pared with conventionally packaged compo-nents with epoxy or solder attach. Through-Silicon-Vias (TSV) will also be a

potential solution in stacked chip solutionsin combination with liquid cooling tech-niques, and experimental results have indi-cated the potential of a 50% improvementin thermal performance.

The replacement of solder and thermalgrease with sintering in assemblies usingDirect Bond Copper (DBC) technology isanother technique that could significantlyimprove thermal performance. Otherpotential cooling techniques include bothliquid conductive cooling of certain high-power components and forced-air convec-tion cooling of medium- and low-power dis-sipating components.

And the use of passive liquid cooling tech-nologies such as heat pipes is likely tobecome more widespread to deal with localhotspots.

Doubling Power DensityNew developments in 3D packaging andchip-scale IC will continue on, but will alsoinclude the integration of power magneticsthat will increase the power levels farbeyond today’s non-isolated converters.The use of planar magnetics is already wide-

spread and the power converter assemblieswill probably be over-moulded to improvethermal performance.

However, these developments cannot bedriven by the DC/DC power converterindustry alone, and support from makers ofsemiconductors and other power compo-nents will be essential with a supply chainthat offers standardized requirements andqualification tests.

Experimental results and full-scale produc-tion show the potential of achieving doublethe power density combined with thermalmanagement solutions for keeping the com-ponent core temperatures within specifiedlevels for reliable operation, making it easilypossible to foresee a 1kW eighth-brick inthe near future n

Ericsson Power Moduleswww.ericsson.com/powermodules

Figure 3: Electroformed heatsink over components on a temporary carrier for increased thermal performance


DESIGN POWER

IntroductionWhether evaluating step-down switchingregulators at the silicon-level (controllerwith FET), or power modules where theintegration, and ease of use of a more com-plete power supply subsystem may be pre-ferred, system designers everywhere areunder enormous pressure. They’re beingtasked with integrating more power and fea-tures in ever-shrinking form factors, and thusadversely affecting the system’s electricaland thermal characteristics.There are various obstacles system design-ers must overcome on the path to integra-tion nirvana. These include the increasedlikelihood of noise coupling as componentsare in closer proximity, as well as heat dissi-pation, given that the power-handling capa-bilities continue to increase along with small-er footprint areas. Fortunately, power module designers con-tinue to innovate to meet these demanding

requirements through various architecturaland topological design approaches thatextract the maximum performance from thesmallest package. Yet, these innovations putthe burden upon system designers in needof the optimum power module to be carefulin their choice of solutions. The techniquesused by different power module solutionscan greatly affect overall system cost, as wellas key performance parameters such as heatdissipation, transient response, ripple volt-age, and even ease of use. It’s very much acase of ‘buyer beware’.

The Case for Modular versus DiscreteFor system designers, there are many reasonsto opt for a power module versus designing apower converter from the component level,not least of which are ease of use and time-to-market. By adding only input and outputcapacitors, these power customers can finishtheir designs relatively easily and quickly, with

confidence that their basic performance andspace requirements have been met. Thepower module is a complete power convert-er system in an encapsulated package thatincludes a PWM controller, synchronousswitching MOSFETs, inductors and passivecomponents, see Figure 1.

For example, Intersil’s ISL8203M powermodule has an extremely low profile pack-age at 1.83mm, which is similar to a 1206capacitor’s height. Also, it delivers the excel-lent electrical and thermal performance tomeet all customer requirements. Normallythat knowledge would be sufficient, buthow that module was designed can greatlyaffect more nuanced parameters, featuresand capabilities.

ISL8203M Deep DiveISL8203M is a complete DC-DC powermodule that has been optimized to gener-ate low output voltages ranging from 0.8Vto 5V, making it ideal for any low-power,low-voltage applications. The supply volt-age input range is from 2.85V to 6V. Thetwo channels are 180° out-of-phase forinput RMS current and EMI reductions. Eachchannel is capable of 3A output current.These channels can be combined to form asingle 6A output in current-sharing mode.While in current-sharing mode, the inter-leaving of the two channels reduces inputand output voltage ripple.

ISL8203M is only 1.83mm thick with a foot-print of 6.5mm × 9mm, as shown in Figure 2.It has the most compact package profile fora given input and output voltage/current

Power Modules Win Out,but Choose Wisely

Power modules are the way to go when it comes to leveraging the expertise of power expertsand getting your design to market quickly, but choose wisely. Power-module architecturechoices can greatly affect your power supply’s performance.

By Jian Yin, Intersil Corporation

Figure 1: Highly integrated power modules require only input and output capacitors, and maybe a few additional external components to meet a system designer’s needs


DESIGN POWER

range, see Table 1, and its overall packagevolume is only 106mm3, which is dramatical-ly smaller than all other power module solu-tions. Although the ISL8203M package isvery compact, it is still delivers very goodefficiency, as shown in Figure 3.

Small Module Package OffersExcellent Thermal PerformanceThe ISL8203M uses a QFN (quad-flat, no-leads) copper lead-frame package, wherethe internal component is soldered directlyto the copper lead frame, see Figure 4. Also,the wire bonds can be applied to the top ofthe internal component for electrical con-

nections to the lead-frame. Then the mold-ing can be filled in to form a completeencapsulated package. This structure allows the heat generated bythe internal components to be dissipateddirectly by the copper in the lead frame

which has a thermal conductivity of ~385W/mK. This is about 1000 times the thermalconductivity of the printed circuit board(PCB) which has a typical thermal conductiv-ity of ~0.343 W/mK. As a result, the copper-based lead frame canhelp the heat dissipate much more efficient-ly than a PCB-based module.

Also, since the copper lead frame can be sixtimes thicker than the 1oz copper on a typ-ical PCB, the module lead frame can helpspread the heat over a large area, thus accel-erating the effective heat transfer area to thesystem board. Overall, the module’s thermal performancecan be better than a discrete solution wherethe component is soldered directly to thePCB system board.

It’s important to note that the moldingmaterial in the structure can have a similarheat-spreading effect to the copper leadframe. Although the molding material has alower thermal conductivity, the heat can stilltransfer through the molding horizontallyand then dissipate into the copper leadframe. The molding also increases the effec-tive heat transfer area from the internalpower component, and thus decreases thethermal resistance from the internal part to

ambient. This is another important compar-ison benefit of power modules – the abilityto handle high power in a small package ver-sus discrete solutions.

Figure 2: The ISL8203M power-module package measures 6.5mm × 9mm × 1.85mm

Figure 4: ISL8203M internal structure

Figure 5: In a worst-case scenario, converting 5Vin to 3.3Vout at 6A -- with no air flow and an ambient temperature of 25°C -- the ISL8203Mreached a maximum temperature ofonly 66.8°C

a) One 3A output at 5Vin b). Paralleled 6A output at 5VinFigure 3: Efficiency of ISL8203M under various output voltage and current conditions

Parts Current Input Output Overall sizeCompetitor 1 Dual 4A/ 2.375V to 0.8V to 5V 15×15×2.82mm

Single 8A 5.5V 635mm3

Competitor 2 Single 6A 2.375V to 0.6V to 5V 11×8×1.85mm6.6V 163mm3

Competitor 3 Single 6A 2.95V to 6V 0.8V to 3.6V 11×9×2.8mm277mm3

ISL8203M Dual 3A/ 2.8V to 6V 0.8V to 5V 9x6.5x1.85mmSingle 6A 106mm3

Table 1 The ISL8203M is the industry’s most compact 6A encapsulated power module


DESIGN POWER

Let’s take a closer look at the thermal per-formance of an ISL8203M mounted on astandard four-layer evaluation board with2oz. copper on the top and bottom layers,and 1oz. copper in the middle layers, seeFigure 5. Running a worst-case scenario of5Vin to 3.3Vout/6A with no airflow and anambient temperature of 25°C, the module’smaximum temperature is only 66.8°C.

For Transients, Current-Mode PowerModule Achieves Better PerformanceThere are generally two types of controlschemes used in module applications: cur-rent-mode and voltage-mode. To ensure afast transient response under various loadconditions, the ISL8203M uses a current-mode control scheme to regulate the outputvoltage, see Figure 6. The scheme’s current-sensing signal is derived from the voltageacross the top FET’s conducting resistance(Rdson) of the synchronized buck converter.This is then fed into the current amplifier,the output of which undergoes slope com-pensation before being compared to theoutput error amplifier to generate what nowbecomes the pulse-width modulation(PWM) signal. Through the driver, the PWMsignal can control the synchronized buckconverter to achieve the required voltageregulation. The compensation on the erroramplifier is needed to boost the loop gainand phase margin to achieve better per-formance and stability.

The structure of the voltage-mode control issimpler than current-mode control. It replacesthe dashed block area in Figure 6 (a) with asaw-tooth ramp at a fixed frequency shown in(b). This saw-tooth ramp, instead of the cur-rent-mode design’s current-sensing signal, isthen compared with the error amplifier’s out-put to generate the required PWM signal.The voltage mode control is also easy tounderstand. As shown in the figure 7, itsopen-loop system is a two-order system,with the inductor and output cap formingthe complex poles. Clearly, its normalizedphase Tv(s), shown in Figure 7 (b) dropsvery fast by 180° across the 20kHz resonantfrequency of the complex poles. This systemdepends upon the compensation compo-nents to improve the phase margin toachieve stability. Otherwise, it only has 10°phase margin with the crossover frequencyat 50kHz, as shown in Figure 7 (b). Largephase margin (typically higher than 40°) is anecessity for the loop stability.

If we use this same voltage-mode control sys-tem in (a) and modify it to the current loopshown in Figure 6 (a), it becomes a current-mode control system. The system open-loopBode plot is shown in Figure 7 as Tc(s). Thissystem is close to a single-order system at thelow frequency range, so the phase is boost-ed dramatically from 20kHz to 500KHz,shown in Figure 7 (b). Even without the compensation components,this is still a stable system. If a simple type II

compensation is added to improve the low-frequency gain and push the crossover fre-quency to about 50KHz, the current-modecontrol phase margin can still be about 80°,which is sufficient for stability. So, for current-mode control, the compensation is relativelysimple, versus voltage mode, and can cover awide range of different output capacitorsdue to the large phase boost in open loop. For power-module applications, the com-

pensation is fixed inside the package, so if theoutput capacitors are changed with differentcustomers’ applications, the complex poles inthe voltage-mode control can be shifted sig-nificantly. The fixed compensation may notcover the wide range of output-capacitorchanges since its open-loop phase is too lowonce over the LC resonant frequency. So inmany cases, it can cause insufficient phasemargins if the load conditions are changed.To avoid this, the voltage-mode module mustlower the loop bandwidth (cross-over fre-quency) to ensure enough phase margin forstability at various load conditions comparedto current-mode control. The penalty forlowering this bandwidth is poor transientresponse performance. To show this criticaldifference in transient performance, weselected one competitor’s 4A power modulewith voltage-mode control to compare withISL8203M. The final loop Bode plots of these

Figure 6: Current- and voltage-mode control diagram

(a) ISL8203 Simplified current-mode control diagram

(b) A typical voltage-mode control diagram

Figure 7: Open-loop Bode plots ofvoltage- and current-mode controls

(a) Open-loop gain of voltage and current modes

(b) Open-loop phase of voltage and current modes

Figure 8: Closed-loop Bode plots ofcurrent-mode and voltage-mode con-trols on module applications (5Vin to1Vout/3A, with the same COUT=2×10µFceramic + 47µF tantalum capacitor)

(a) One 3A output of ISL8203M

(b) A competitor’s voltage-mode module


DESIGN POWER

two power modules are shown in Figure 8. If we select the same output capacitors forthe test, with the phase margins both at~60°, the ISL8203M loop bandwidth of one3A output was much higher than the volt-age-mode module, leading to the ISL8203M

having much better transient performance,see Figure 9. Under the same testing condi-tions, the ISL8203M has a peak-to-peak vari-ation of 240mV and a recovery time of only25μS, while the voltage-mode module has apeak-to-peak variation at 275mV and largerecovery time of 70μS.

Paralleled Operation Provides LowOutput RippleFinally, the ISL8203M can operate with dual3A outputs or a single 6A output. When itruns at 6A, the two 3A outputs can be par-alleled as shown in Figure 10. With thephase interleaving between two outputs at180°, the input and output ripples can bereduced dramatically. As shown in Figure 11,the paralleled output ripple is only 11mV,while the competitor’s single-phase moduleripple goes as high as 36mV, under the same

test conditions. More importantly, for agiven output ripple, the ISL8203M needsless than half of the output capacitors com-pared to the single-phase module, thus pro-viding significant cost savings.

ConclusionThe ISL8203M comes in a compact packageyet still meets customers’ electrical and ther-mal performance requirements. The mod-ule’s standard evaluation requires no heatsink and no airflow, delivers a total power of20W to the load, with the module reachinga maximum temperature of only 66.8°C. Its current-mode control scheme allows theISL8203M to achieve good transient perform-ance with excellent peak-to-peak variationand a recovery time that is one-third that ofcompetitive power modules. The ISL8203M’sspecial parallel mode also enables it to deliver6A, with extremely low output ripple, and twooutputs interleaved at 180°. This feature alsocomes with significant component cost sav-ings for a given ripple limit. With all of thesesuperior performance characteristics, theISL8203M is a good candidate for any low-power, low-voltage application, such as testand measurement, communication infrastruc-ture and industrial control systems, all requir-ing high density and good performance. To meet the challenges of designing thepower subsystem for these systems, manydesigners are using power modules insteadof traditional discrete point-of-load designs,when time-to-market, size constraints, relia-bility and design capabilities are the moti-vating factors. Find out more about Intersil’sISL203M power module at the web page:www.intersil.com/products/ISL8203M n

About the Author:Jian Yin is the Applications EngineeringManager for Industrial and InfrastructureProducts at Intersil Corporation. He isresponsible for analog and digital powermodule design and development, and allpower module related customer applicationssupport. Mr. Yin is the recipient of eight U.S.patents (including pending patents), and haspublished over 50 journal articles and techni-cal papers. Prior to joining Intersil, Mr. Yin wasa Senior Engineer at Monolithic PowerSystems and a Module Design Engineer atLinear Technology Corporation, where hedesigned and released more than ninepower module products. Mr. Yin holds aPh.D. in Electrical Engineering from VirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State University.Intersil Corporation www.intersil.com

Figure 9: Output load transientresponse with the same output capaci-tors (5Vin to 1Vout 0 to 3A, COUT=2×10µF ceramic + 47µF tantalum capaci-tor; load-current step slew rate at 1A/µs)

(a) One 3A output of ISL8203M

(b) A competitor’s voltage mode control power module

Figure 11: Output ripple performancewith the same output capacitors (5Vin to 1Vout 4A, COUT= 2×4.7µFceramic + 68µF POSCAP capacitor;load-current step slew rate of 1A/µs)

(a) ISL8203M ripple at 4A with two outputs in parallel

(b) Ripple for a competitor’s 4A single-output module

Figure 10:ISL8203M can be

quickly and easilyprogrammed to

parallel operation.


INDUSTRY NEWS CASE STUDY

Athena Technologies Relies on VectorCAST for DO-178B Level BCertificationAthena Technologies, Inc., providesadvanced hardware, software, and con-trols solutions for military and civilianunmanned and manned vehicle applica-tions that demand the highest degree of reliability and robustness. Their flightcontrol and navigation systems featurefully integrated flight control systemsand sensor suites that provide more performance, reliability, and capability ina smaller, lower power, and lower costproduct. Their flight control and navigation systems feature fully integrated flight control systems and sensor suites that provide more perform-ance, reliability, and capability in a smaller, lower power, and lower costproduct. Athena is quickly becoming thestandard in flight control and navigationacross the aviation industry.

ChallengeAthena Technologies was faced with a com-pressed schedule for certification testing oftheir Micro INSTM and SensorPac® AirData, Attitude, and Heading ReferenceSystem (ADAHRS) project and neededDO-178B tools that provided the highestlevel of automation.

SolutionBy adopting VectorCAST, AthenaTechnologies was able to capture structuralcoverage during unit, integration, and systemtesting seamlessly. Athena chose VectorCAST/C++ together with the VectorCAST/RSP for the Green Hills tool chain to supporttheir unit and integration testing. They alsoused VectorCAST/Cover to collect structuralcoverage during system testing.

ResultsAthena Technologies increased efficiencythrough automation and successfully mettheir certification milestones on time.

ADAHRS Certification ProjectAthena Technologies is ISO 9001 certified,CMMI-III compliant, and follows the recom-mended procedures outlined by the RadioTechnical Commission on Aeronautics(RTCA) in the development of their flight

control and navigation products: DO-178B(software development), DO-160 (electri-cal system testing) and DO-254 (hardwaredesign).In 2007, Athena began certification of theircommercial products, the Micro INSTM andSensorPac® Air Data, Attitude, and HeadingReference System (ADAHRS). ADAHRSserves as a baseline for added features andfunctionality for next generation applica-tions. Because the ADAHRS is required tobe developed according to DO-178B LevelB standards, the entire application had to betested and proof had to be supplied that100% structural coverage was achieved.

Vector Software Solutions for AvionicsAthena determined that automation wascritical to the project and felt that an auto-mated unit-level testing solution would bea time saver for creating tests. “We gatheredinformation from outside sources, receivedrecommendations from the Green Hills website as to tool partners, and had suggestionsfrom our DERs. We also searched the webfor DO178B Code Coverage tool sets.” saidChris Brown, Vice President of Engineeringfor Athena Technologies.Athena performed a survey of test tools insupport of their requirements. They evalu-ated several tools, including VectorCAST,which was recommended by Green HillsSoftware Engineers. VectorCAST was cho-sen for unit, integration, and system testingof the ADAHRS. According to Mr. Brown,there were three key factors which ledAthena to choose VectorCAST.

“VectorCAST’s integration with the GreenHills environment; Not only was there a longhistory of tight integration, but VectorSoftware’s support and engineering person-nel were very experienced with the GreenHills environment and had a good workingrelationship with the Green Hills supportteam in the event that issues needed to beresolved.” “USA-based development andsupport was very important due to the tightschedule and the need to get timely respons-es to issues that arose.”“VectorCAST support for Athena’s softwareenvironment meant Athena could test theircode on either their host or target environ-ment as needed.”VectorCAST was used at every level oftesting (unit, integration and system) for theentire application.Mr. Brown continues “The training was criticaland consequently made the team immediatelyproductive using the tool. They also were ableto procure VectorCAST three months beforetesting was to begin, allowing the team tolearn the tool, get it configured properly torun on their target, and set up some proce-dures that would make the testing run assmoothly as possible.” “We were impressedwith Vector Software from the outset.VectorCAST provided excellent ease of useand functionality; tight integration with theGreen Hills MULTI environment; and therewas an extensive network of embedded sys-tem developers using the VectorCAST testenvironment” added Mr. Brown.VECTOR SOFTWAREwww.vectorcast.com


INDUSTRY NEWS CASE STUDY

ŠKODA ELECTRIC Achieves EN 50128 Compliance withVectorCAST

ŠKODA ELECTRIC A.S. is a leading international manufacturer of tractionelectronic propulsion sources and electric traction motors for trolley buses,tram cars, locomotives, suburban railwayunits, underground, mining vehicles, andthe like using the IRIS and other railwaystandards and procedures. ŠKODA ELECTRIC has over 750 employees andposts annual revenue of more than €125 million with continuous growth.

ChallengeIn an effort to streamline the Verificationand Validation process, ŠKODA ELECTRICwas faced with the challenge of replacingtheir internally developed test framework.The framework was used during the unittest phase in conjunction with several freecode coverage tools that proved to beunsuitable for embedded software testing.The solution needed to fully support andbe integrated with their existing embeddeddevelopment environment.

SolutionFollowing an extensive evaluation process,ŠKODA ELECTRIC determined that VectorSoftware’s VectorCAST embedded soft-ware testing solution not only supportedtheir embedded development environ-ment, but offered a complete solution forunit/integration testing, system test, codecoverage, and regression testing.

ResultsBy employing VectorCAST, softwaredefects are now detected faster, leading togreater productivity and quality. ŠKODAELECTRIC is now able to quickly deliverresults in a form suitable for auditors duringthe process of validation.

Increasing Productivity and SoftwareQuality through Continuous IntegrationTo achieve their goal of safety-critical soft-ware Verification and Validation, ŠKODAELECTRIC needed an automated solutionthat could evaluate their entire code baseand seamlessly integrate into their existingembedded software development environ-ment. ŠKODA ELECTRIC engineers devel-

op applications using Keil™ for the ARM®processor and TI Code Composer Studio™for the F28xx and C64xx processors.

“Before we began our evaluation, we initiallythought that a full-featured test tool for ourembedded environment was not commer-cially available”, remarked Stanislav Fligl,Core Team Leader at ŠKODA ELECTRIC.“We were pleased to learn otherwise.”

After a rigorous evaluation, using theirexisting code, ŠKODA ELECTRIC chose toimplement the VectorCAST automated testsolution from Vector Software. As a result,software defects are now detected earlierin the development process leading togreater productivity and quality.

“The VectorCAST tools have greatlyreduced the time it takes to fully test ourcode”, continued Mr. Fligl. “ROI is often diffi-cult to determine, but it did not take long tosee the benefits from implementing this auto-mated verification and validation strategy.”

By employing VectorCAST, ŠKODAELECTRIC's engineers not only have a bet-ter understanding of module testing buthave standardized on a process to auto-mate the tasks associated with this kind oflow-level testing. In addition to identifyingdefects more quickly, ŠKODA ELECTRICnow has the ability to perform daily regres-sion testing enabling developers to easilydeliver results suitable for auditors focusedon verification and validation.Using VectorCAST/Manage for automatedregression testing, ŠKODA ELECTRIC's

engineers now have the ability to test oftenand are immediately alerted when codemodifications impact application behaviorallowing them to catch regression errors assoon as they are introduced. This continu-ous quality practice provides a safety netthat reduces the risk of change.

“Using manual methods of testing sourcecode was time consuming and often difficultto predict software outcomes”, said Fligl.“VectorCAST/Manage allows us to importpreviously developed test environments intoregression test suites, providing a singlepoint-of-control for all unit and integrationtest activities.”

Tool of ChoiceAdditional increases in ŠKODA ELECTRIC’sproductivity, stem from VectorCAST’s easeof use and Vector Software’s collaborativeapproach to customer support.

“VectorCAST/C++ is a tool the testers do nothesitate to use. It is very important that thetool is easy to use and positively accepted bythe end users. This helps to get their jobdone and to deliver results in the form suit-able for auditors during the process of vali-dation”, continues Fligl. “The support wehave received from Vector Software hasbeen outstanding. Vector Software’s trainersand support staff consist of highly experi-enced people, which deliver an extra addedvalue to the product.”

VECTOR SOFTWAREwww.vectorcast.com


New PowerVR G6020 GPU targets ultra-affordable mobile and IoT devicesBy Alexandru VoicaMarch 2, 2015 in Multimedia, PowerVR Developers, PowerVR Graphics Even though most headlines at MWC 2015 will tend to focus on flagship devices, a lot of the growth in mobile at the moment iscoming from emerging markets where sub-$100 smartphones are selling in large volume.

Today we are introducing PowerVR G6020, a new and highly efficient Rogue GPU that provides an ideal solution for the ultra-affordable mobile market as well as embedded and IoT applications; think trip computers for affordable cars, smart appli-ances inside the home, multi-purpose printers and scanners – anything that needs a screen.

Reduce the clock rate to a few hundred MHz, and you might find it is also a suitable graphics processor for next generationhigh-end wearables. While the previously announced Series5XE-based GX5300 GPU focused on mainstream wearables,PowerVR G6020 goes for premium smartwatches and glasses, offering up to 2x more performance at a similar process nodewhile also improving battery life.

PowerVR G6020 can be used for a wide variety of high-resolution devices



PowerVR G6020: a tiny OpenGL® ES 3.0-capable GPUPowerVR G6020 is the smallest graphics processor from ourSeries6XE family and has been designed to deliver a smooth userexperience for high-definition displays (720p at 60 fps); here arethe key highlights:• Performance: 400-500 Mpixels/second and 12.8-16 FP16 GFLOPS

at 400-500MHz• Silicon area: 2.2 mm2 at 400-500MHz (28 nm)• APIs: OpenGL ES 2.0/3.0 (including new features like instancing

for reduced CPU overhead)• Operating systems: Android, Android Wear, Linux, RTOS

(real time operating systems), etc.

Balanced fillrate and GFLOPS performancePowerVR G6020 also features a carefully designed microarchitectureoptimized for cost-sensitive devices where area efficiency and a bal-anced feature set are the main driving factors; the diagram belowoffers an overview of the area optimizations we’ve made to the USC(unified shading cluster) architecture for this GPU:

Since user interfaces do not require a lot of geometry, we’ve focusedon implementing FP16 ALU pipes that deliver high-quality image pro-cessing at significantly lower area instead of wasting valuable resourceson FP32 precision.In addition, we’ve ensured that G6020 delivers a sustained pixel fill-rate to match our GFLOPS performance; this balanced approach iscritical for entry-level applications like fluid 3D user interfaces orcasual gaming.You can see how our PowerVR G6020 GPU fares versus the competi-tion in terms GFLOPS per mm2 in the chart below:

,

Chips for ultra-affordable mobile and IoT devicesChip makers can now deploy our PowerVR Rogue architecture acrossmultiple markets (mobile, IoT, automotive, home entertainment, etc.),targeting every category of devices from entry-level to high-end.

The diagram below presents an example of a chip designed for ultra-affordable mobile devices, including a multicore MIPS I6400 64-bitCPU, high-performance multimedia (PowerVR G6020 GPU, PowerVRD5300/E5300 VPU and PowerVR V2500 ISP) and a low-powerEnsigma C4521 RPU for multi-standard connectivity.

IMAGINATION TECHNOLOGIES

PowerVR G6020 is our smallest OpenGL ES 3.0-capableRogue GPU

PowerVR G6020 features an area-optimized Series6XE USC

The architecture of an ultra-affordable mobile chip

About Alexandru VoicaAfter having experienced the fast-pacedworld of the IP business as a junior engineerat various companies around Europe,Alexandru Voica has decided to pursue hisdream of working in technology marketingand PR for Imagination Technologies. Hisbackground includes research in computergraphics at the School of Advanced StudiesSant'Anna in Pisa and a brief stint as a CPUengineer. When not planted firmly in front ofhis laptop, Alexandru can be found hitting thebasketball court, singing along at a rock n' rollconcert, enjoying art cinema or reading hisfavorite American authors.

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Digi International Launches theXBee® ZigBee Cloud Kit

Easiest and Fastest Way for ProductDevelopers and Makers to Create cloud-connected prototypes using XBee ZigBeetechnology

Lattice Semiconductor Expedites & SimplifiesUSB Type-C Implementation in Consumer andIndustrial Devices

Digi International announcedConnectCore® 6, the world’s first sur-face mount multi-chip module withbuilt-in wireless connectivity. TheConnectCore 6 provides access to allof the features of the Freescale® i.MX 6Quad, i.MX 6 Dual and i.MX 6 Soloprocessors, making it the ideal solutionfor M2M applications. The module’ssmall form factor and design, whichrequires no connectors, reducesmanufacturing costs and makes iteasier than ever to add wirelesscapabilities to portable devices.The product was created toreduce design risk, complexityand time to market for thosedeveloping products for trans-portation, security and otherindustrial applications.The ConnectCore 6 module’sbuilt-in ability to connect via Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy andDevice Cloud by Etherios can saveproduct designers hundreds of hours oftime and expense in designing wirelessdevices—including the pain of passingand maintaining global certifications.Complete software development tools

are provided to build application soft-ware to help get products to marketfaster. The module has a 5-year warran-ty and is designed for long-term avail-ability, ensuring that it will be availablefor the lifecycle of developed products.Digi has a longstanding track record indelivering embedded core modulesbased on Freescale i.MX processors.Other offerings include ConnectCore®

modules based on the i.MX53 andi.MX51 processor families, and theConnectCard module-based on thei.MX28 processor. Scalable and energy-efficient, the ConnectCore family isideal for a variety of applications. DIGI INTERNATIONALwww.digi.com

New Digi ConnectCore 6 Module Adds Wireless M2MConnectivity to Devices

Digi International announced the launch of theXBee® ZigBee Cloud Kit, a new all-in-one kit thatallows anyone with an interest in M2M and theInternet of Things to quickly build a wireless hard-ware prototype, connect it to the Internet, andcontrol it from the cloud.The XBee ZigBee Cloud Kit is simple enough to helpnon-engineers get their creations connected to thecloud in 30 minutes and flexible enough for profes-sionals to build rapid prototypes with advancedprogramming and cloud-based data sets.

Built around Digi’s XBee ZigBee Gateway, the XBeeZigBee Cloud Kit includes code examples andpowerful tools to easily create cloud-connectedprojects. It includes access to the Internet whichenables remote control of the device and datathrough a customizable application.

Each kit contains:• 1 XBee Gateway – ZigBee to Ethernet/Wi-Fi• 1 XBee-PRO ZigBee 2.4GHz module• 1 Development board with breadboard• Basic prototyping components– Wires, LEDs, Relay, Resistors, Temp Sensor• Sample Web Application (Runs on Heroku)– Open Source– Configurable Widgets– Integrated with Device Cloud

The XBee ZigBee Cloud Kit’s low price pointmakes it a perfect choice for professional and stu-dent prototypers and for product developersinterested in quickly creating cloud-connectedsolutions. The XBee ZigBee Cloud Kit is availablefor $199 MSRP.

DIGI INTERNATIONALwww.digi.com


PRODUCT NEWS EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation,the leader in ultra-low power, smallform factor, customizable solutions,today announced three new, freely-downloadable reference designs thatenable designers working in consumer,industrial and other sectors to quicklyimplement the cable detect and powerdelivery functions required to unlockthe new capabilities of Type-C includ-ing 100W power, 20Gbps bandwidth,reversibility and flexibility.“Leaders in this market will launch USBType-C products by the middle of thisyear,” said Gordon Hands, DirectorNew Initiatives at Lattice. “We are pro-viding ready-to-use, low power, minia-ture, cost-effective solutions that slashtime-to-market and mitigate develop-ment risk.”The three solutions offered by Latticeaddress both Cable Detect (CD) andPower Delivery (PD) functions and deliver:

• CD/PD targeting chargers• CD/PD for devices such as laptops,

docks, dongles hand-held industrial• CD/PD-Phy for devices such as

smart phones and tablets

The downloadable reference designsinclude: Schematic; BOM; Pin-list;Bitstream; and Code to allow PolicyEngine customization. The designs arebased on Lattice’s iCE40™ ultra-lowpower, miniature and low cost FPGAfamilies. LATTICE SEMICONDUCTORwww.latticesemi.com

Toshiba Announces EuropeanLaunch of TransferJet™ Adapterfor iPhone, iPad and iPod

Microchip announces microcontrollerfamily providing multiple independent,closed-loop power channels and systemmanagementMicrochip announces from the Embedded World conference inGermany a new family of 8-bit PIC® Microcontrollers (MCUs) withthe PIC16(L)F1769 family. This is the first PIC MCU family to offerup to two independent closed-loop channels. This is achieved withthe addition of the Programmable Ramp Generator (PRG), whichautomates slope and ramp compensation, and increases stabilityand efficiencies in hybrid power conversion applications. The PRGprovides real-time, down to the nanosecond, responses to a systemchange without CPU interaction for multiple independent powerchannels. This gives customers the ability to reduce latency andcomponent counts while improving system efficiency.

Watch a short product/demo video:www.microchip.com/PIC16L_F1769-Product-Video-022415a

The PIC16(L)F1769 family includes intelligent analogue and digi-tal peripherals, including tri-state op amps, 10-bit Analogue-to-Digital Converters (ADCs), 5- & 10-bit Digital-to-AnalogueConverters (DACs), 10- and 16-bit PWMs, and high-speed com-parators, in addition to two 100 mA high-current I/Os. The combi-nation of these integrated peripherals helps to support thedemands of multiple independent closed-loop power channelsand system management, while providing an 8-bit platform thatsimplifies design, enables higher efficiency and increased perform-ance while helping to eliminate many discrete components inpower-conversion systems. In addition to power-conversionperipherals, these PIC MCUs have a unique hardware-based LEDdimming control function enabled by the interconnections of theData Signal Modulator (DSM), op amp and 16-bit PWM. The com-bination of these peripherals creates a LED-dimming engine syn-chronising switching control and eliminating LED current over-shoot and decay. The synchronisation of the output switchinghelps to smooth dimming, minimise colour shifting, increase LEDlife and reduce heat. This family also includes Core IndependentPeripherals (CIPs) such as the Configurable Logic Cell (CLC),Complementary Output Generator (COG) and Zero Cross Detect(ZCD). These CIPs take 8-bit PIC MCU performance to a new level,as they are designed to handle tasks with no code or supervisionfrom the CPU to maintain operation, after initial configuration. MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGYwww.microchip.com/PIC16L_F1769-Page-022415a

High speed data transfer adaptor for iOS devices joinsTransferJet™ products for Windows® and AndroidTM

Toshiba Electronics Europe has announced the European launch ofthe first TransferJetTM adapter for iOS devices. The newTJEU00LTB adaptor is compatible with iOS 7.1 / 8.1 devices suchas the iPhone, iPad and iPod fitted with a Lightning connector portand enables close proximity wireless data transfer.

TransferJet technology enables simple ultra-high speed datatransfers with low power consumption, and works by simplybringing the two devices together. Maximum data throughput is375 Mbps, and 100 MBytes of data can be transmitted in approx-imately three seconds.All users need to do is attach the TransferJet adapter to an iPhone,iPad or iPod and download the iOS app from the App Store. Userssimply select the data file to be transferred on the screen of amobile device and then touch the device against the receivingdevice. The TJEU00LTB adaptor is compliant with Lightning iAP2and provides high speed file transfer throughput for large datasources, including movies and pictures.Toshiba has also recently launched a USB2.0 adapter, theTJEU00AUXB, for Windows® devices, and the TJEU00AMUBMicroUSB adapter module for devices running AndroidTM 4.0onwards. These new adapters for Android and Windows offer atransfer rate 1.7 times faster, with 30% lower power consumptionand 30% less volume than Toshiba’s previous models, theTJM35420UX and TJM35420MU, helping to preserve the batterylife of mobile devices.* TransferJet and TransferJet logos are licensed by the TransferJet

Consortium.* iPhone, iPad, iPod, App Store and Lightning are trademarks of

Apple Inc.* IOS is a trademark or a registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S.

and other countries and is used under license.* Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of

Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.* Android is a trademark of Google Inc.

TOSHIBA ELECTRONICS EUROPEwww.toshiba-transferjet.com


PRODUCT NEWS EMBEDDED SYSTEMS


Light color control and management made easyMAZeT GmbH presents their newest JENCOLOR® products for measurement tasks in thefields of color measurement and LED light.

PRODUCT NEWS SENSORS

The new products include the True Colorsensor MTCSiCF for color and light meas-urement, the sensor signal amplifierMCDC04 with I²C interface as well as thesensor board MTCS-INT-AB4 and theEvaluation Kit MTCS-C3 (Colorimeter 3) forlighting applications. The JENCOLOR® sen-sors in combination with the signal ICs are anideal match for applications with highrequirement of temperature and long-termstability - such as LED lighting, color meas-urement tasks, industrial, medical or beautyapplications as well as metrology.

True Color Sensor MTCSiCFThe JENCOLOR® MTCSiCF color sensorwith space-saving QFN16 housing (4 x 4 x0.9 mm) is the latest addition to the range ofTrue Color sensors with XYZ filters. Thanksto their defined filter characteristics (stan-dard spectral value function), these are idealfor ‘eye precise’ absolute color measure-ment, and can be used to accurately meas-ure the colors of materials, liquids or lightbased on the CIE 1931/DIN 5033 industrystandard. This makes measurement systemspossible which can replicate human colorperception and produce results which rep-resent XYZ points in the LAB (LUV) colorspace. The sensor is suitable for all applica-tions that require an optimum balancebetween price, size and colorimetric preci-sion. Quality standards for color measure-ment and identification precision are alwaysdefined by the human eye.

Signal Conditioner MCDC04Input signal levels for light measurementneed a wide dynamic range capable of cov-ering several sizes. With its internal signal

processing concept, the MCDC04 fulfillsthese requirements.The programmable signal processing ICallows an input signal resolution up to 16Bit and ensures a high degree of channelsynchronization across the operating tem-perature range. The MCDC04 digital 4-channel current-to-charge signal converteris specially adapted to the requirements ofthe tristimulus JENCOLOR® color sensors. The MTCSiCF color sensor combined withthe MCDC04 is ideally suited to a variety oflight measurement and control applications.

OEM Sensor Board MTCS-INT-AB4The sensor board MTCS-INT-AB4 is basedon two new IC solutions, which are speciallydeveloped to solve tasks in LED lighting con-trol - for example: feedback color control ofLED light sources. The True Color sensors ICin implemented on the board performs

color measurements based on the standardCIE 1931 - the human eye perception. The signal converter MCDC04 is an analog-digital-converter (16 bit) with current-input,high dynamic range (1:1,000,000) and I2Coutput for direct implementation into con-troller-based systems. The board is an idealOEM color sensor solution within theLuv/Lab color space with simple implemen-tation based on the two modules on theboard and an I2C interface. Therefore theOEM sensor is an ideal addition to all appli-cations that require a high accuracy and sta-bility of colors, even in harsh environmentalconditions like temperature shifts. Examplesare the calibration of cabin lights in air-planes, or the color management of back-lights in displays or video walls.

OEM Sensor Board MTCS-C3The sensor board MTCS-C3 includes thesame basic components as the MTCS-INT-AB4 and furthermore includes a micro con-troller and USB interface. This allows thesensor board to be used as OEM sensorunit, which can directly be implementedinto customer-applications - as USB plug-and-play color sensor. Example applica-tions are calibration of displays or backlightsystems, or applications such as LED tests orcommon light measurement tasks.

MAZETwww.mazet.de

True Color Sensor IC MTCSiCF withCIE 1931 filter function in a QFN16

The OEM sensor board MTCS-C3 withUSB interface for color measurementbased on CIE 1931. Can be directly implemented into acustomer-specific casing and used asUSB colorimeter for test systems. Customer-specific pre-calibration canbe performed by MAZeT.

Digital current-to-charge converter MCDC04

The OEM sensor board MTCS-INT-AB4with I2C interface for color measurements based on CIE 1931 anddirect integration into controller-based measurement or control systems.


n Optical sensorsn Sensors for logistic applicationsn Safety at work

n Optical Sensorsn Inductive Sensors

n Color Sensorsn True Color Sensors, Spectrometersn Gloss Sensors

Leuze

Contrinex

Sensor Instruments

n Linear Sensorsn Angle Sensorsn Tilt Sensors

n PLCsn Temperature Controllern Timer

n Flowmetersn Level Indicators and Switchesn Pressure Sensors and Switches

ASM

Selec

Koboldn Linear Solenoidsn Permanent Electromagnets

Harting

HTP

Intertec

Visit our online shopwww.oboyle.ro

n Circular connectors M8; M12; M23n Cable and Connectors for Sensorsn Valve Connectorsn Distribution Blocks

n Heavy Duty Industrial Connectorsn Power and Data Transmission Connectors

AUTOMATION

New Digital Controllers Provide Auto-Tuning & FastTransient Response for Gaming & High-PerformanceMotherboardsPowervation Ltd., the Intelligent DigitalPower™ company, today announced its lat-est series of digital DC/DC controllers forgaming & high-performance mother-boards, embedded computing, network-ing, and telecom applications. The PV3203& PV3205 digital dual-phase controllersprovide fast transient response and newfeatures to improve power supply & systemperformance, while reducing overall bill ofmaterial component cost.This new series of digital controllers pro-vides higher switching frequency, new con-figurable alert functionality, phase loss faultdetection, and many other new features.

Additionally, these controllers providePowervation’s unique Auto-Control®,the auto-tuning mode of Powervation’sleading xTune™ adaptive compensationarchitecture, which simplifies the designprocess and improves transient per-formance. Designed to deliver optimized per-formance while interfacing with most lead-ing MOSFET driver and DrMOS solutions,the new controllers are highly flexible andconfigurable, and have been optimized topower DDR memory, PCH, and otherpoint-of-load rails in computing & commu-nications applications. The RoHS compli-

ant devices are available now for sampleand production orders. ThePowerSMART™ design tool is offered at nocharge, and is available for download fromthe Powervation website.

POWERVATIONwww.powervation.com


Mouser Electronics, Inc. is nowstocking the ADuCRF101Precision Analog Microcontrollerwith RF Transceiver from AnalogDevices. The ADuCRF101 is afully integrated data acquisitionsystem on a chip designed for lowpower wireless applications. Itfeatures a 6 channel 12 bit analogto digital converter (ADC) builtaround a 16MHz ARM CortexM3 core, as well as a completewireless RF transceiver. On chipmemory includes 128KBytes ofFlash part of which can be parti-tioned to be used like EEPROM,and 16KBytes of SRAM, all in apackage just 9mm × 9mm. Thisnew microcontroller targetsInternet of Things as well as smartmeters, home automation,process and building control,wireless mesh networks, and thelatest IEEE 802.15 Smart UtilityNetworks (SUN) applications.

The Analog Devices ADuCRF101Precision Analog Microcontrollerwith RF Transceiver, availablefrom Mouser Electronics, containseverything needed to implementa wireless data acquisition system,including analog and digital sen-sor inputs and an RF transceiver.

The data acquisition section con-sists of a high resolution 12 bitADC with a programmable datarate of up to 167kSPS. MOUSER ELECTRONICSwww.mouser.com

Analog Devices ADuCRF101 Wireless DataAcquisition System Now at Mouser

Mouser Electronics, Inc.announced their new RoboticsTechnology site. Mouser’s newtechnology site provides devel-opers with the resources theyneed to learn about the latestadvances in robotics technolo-gies, and the newest compo-nents from Mouser Electronicsfor building robotics systems. The new Robotics Technologysite, available on Mouser.com,contains valuable information fordevelopers interested in expand-ing their knowledge about robot-ics systems. The Technology sec-tion is segmented into four maincategories. Overview discussesrobotics in general and briefly dis-cusses the main subsystems.Motor Control reviews the impor-tance of how motors allow robotsto perform physical tasks or travel.Sensors are used by robots toperceive the world around it andits own status. And MCU Controlexamines how microcontrollersrun the robot and the importanceof peripherals for managementand communication.

The Articles section discussestopics such as the future of robot-ics, distributed control systems inrobotics, and robots that veryclosely resemble humans. All arti-cles offer an area to post com-ments and questions to facilitatefurther discussions on the topic.

The Featured Products sectionfocuses on key products availablefrom Mouser that speed andenhance the development ofrobotics systems. Productsinclude the Texas InstrumentsPiccolo MCUs and Kits, PanasonicAN44183A Motor Driver, and theMolex Micro Lock™ 1.25mm pitchwire-to-board connectors.MOUSER ELECTRONICSwww.mouser.com

Mouser Launches New Robotics Technology Site

IDT Wireless Power TransmitterAdopted for Samsung Galaxy

PRODUCT NEWS ACTIVE COMPONENTS

Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT®) announced thatSamsung adopted an IDT wireless power transmitter to enablewireless charging for its Galaxy smart phone. With the integra-tion of IDT’s P92xx magnetic induction transmitter in the Galaxycharging pad, Samsung joins the list of leading innovatorsdeploying IDT wireless power technology into cutting-edgeproducts. In addition to smart phones and accessories, IDT’swireless power transmitters and receivers have been designedinto wearables, charging stations, remote controls, and furni-ture. The IDT transmitter supports the Wireless PowerConsortium’s Qi standard, and offers a high level of program-mability while consuming ultra-low standby power, meetingEnergy Star requirements.

IDT develops wireless power semiconductors for magneticinduction and magnetic resonance charging, supporting thethree major standards groups: the Wireless Power Consortium(WPC), the Power Matters Alliance (PMA), and Alliance forWireless Power (A4WP).IDT www.idt.com

IDT Introduces ‘Wireless PowerShare’TechnologyIntegrated Device Tech -nology, Inc. introduced its“Wireless Power Share™”technology, a cutting-edgeinnovation that will enableconsumers to wirelesslycharge a mobile devicefrom another device. Thesemiconductor is a multi-mode, multi-function chip—receiverand transmitter—that supports all major wireless power stan-dards for magnetic resonance and magnetic induction charging.With IDT’s Wireless PowerShare technology, consumers will beable to charge their wearable devices by simply setting them atopor near an enabled smart phone. The new wireless power solu-tion, a member of IDT’s P9700 series of semiconductors, enablesa seamless transition between the three leading standards: theAlliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) standard for magnetic reso-nance and the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and Wireless PowerConsortium (WPC) standards for magnetic induction. The chipdelivers 5 W to 10 W of output power and offers a proprietarymode that provides greater flexibility to OEMs.IDT www.idt.com


Freescale’s Kinetis KV5x MCU withARM® Cortex®-M7 core drivesmotor control into the IoT eraKinetis V series MCU family enables a new generation ofsecure, connected, high efficiency motor control applications


Freescale Semiconductor announces volume availability of i.MX 6SoloX,a highly integrated, multi-market applications processor enabling secureconnected home, connected vehicles and Internet of Things applications.Robust security is a hallmark of the i.MX 6SoloX. The SoC incorpo-rates cryptographic cipher engines and a configurable resourcedomain controller that allows peripherals to be locked or shared by

the CPU cores. Augmenting thedomain controller is a securemessaging semaphore unit thatenables cooperative, multi-OSsoftware to safely access sharedperipherals. The processor alsofeatures robust physical security,including advanced secure bootand protected data storage.These advanced hardwarecapabilities enable users toarchitect custom security solu-

tions based on unique market requirements. Integrating ARM®Cortex®-M4 and Cortex-A9 cores on the same chip allows deploy-ment of a user interface-rich operating system on the Cortex-A9 corewhile benefiting from the deterministic, real-time responsiveness ofthe Cortex-M4 core. Discrete CPU core power domains allow forindependent power state control and low current draw with fastwakeup times from sleep modes. The SoC’s system-aware architec-ture supports additional power efficiency by enabling completeshutdown of the Cortex-A9 core, even as the Cortex-M4 continuesperforming low-level system monitoring tasks. This benefit can befurther enhanced by leveraging the extended light load efficiency ofFreescale’s proven PF0200 power management companion IC thathas been optimized for i.MX processor system platforms. The i.MX 6SoloX is well-suited for a range of display-centric automo-tive applications, and can also be used in lower cost, smaller packag-ing options with no displays, including automotive telematics andmodules in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-everything (V2X)applications. The device additionally supports a range of non-auto-motive products such as home automation, building control andhealthcare applications.i.MX 6SoloX applications processor is now shipping in volume pro-duction. The device is available with a comprehensive set of develop-ment tools and software support including Android and Linux oper-ating systems for the Cortex-A9 core, the MQX™ OS for the Cortex-M4 core and the broad ARM community of support. The SABREBoard for Smart Devices based on the i.MX 6SoloX and featuring thePF0200 PMIC is available for customers today.

FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR www.freescale.com/iMX6SoloX

Freescale i.MX 6SoloX takes applicationsprocessor security to new levels

Freescale Semiconductor’s new Kinetis KV5x MCU family is har-nessing the full performance potential of the ARM Cortex-M7core to enable far-reaching design enhancements in the expan-sive and rapidly evolving digital motor control market. Motor control remains the number one consumer of electricityglobally. With the vast majority of deployed motors commonlybased on outdated, inefficient technologies, the migrationtoward digital-based control systems with secure networkingcapabilities presents a significant opportunity for both energyconservation and end-product feature innovation.

The Kinetis KV5x MCU addresses this dynamic need by combin-ing leading-edge processing power, sophisticated analog andtiming peripherals, and new connectivity, security and safety fea-tures. In doing so, it brings increased motor efficiency, remote sys-tem management and end-node interoperability, via the IoT, to avast range of applications, from home appliances to complexindustrial drives. The Kinetis KV5x MCU incorporates an IEEE®1588 Ethernet controller, a cryptographic acceleration unit withrandom number generator, and a memory protection unit. Withmotors often employed in safety-critical environments such asmanufacturing process control, these features allow developers toimplement new services via the IoT infrastructure while protect-ing against erroneous inputs that could lead to an undesiredoperating condition. The KV5x features a 240 MHz ARM Cortex-M7 core with single precision floating-point unit. This executesprogram code from up to 1 MB of on-chip flash memory via a256-bit wide interface that minimizes CPU wait states. 128 KB ofdata tightly coupled memory (DTCM) and 64 KB of instructionTCM (ITCM) maximize high performance deterministic process-ing, ensuring optimum response for real-time motor speed andposition detection. And with four high-speed 12-bit ADCs, eachcapable of 5 Msps, the Kinetis KV5x MCU family can support fullyasynchronous dual 3-phase motor control with two dedicatedADCs and 8 channel PWMs per motor. Dual 12-channel eFlexPWMs also support 312 picosecond resolution for driving up to8 half-bridge power stages in power conversion applications.

FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR www.freescale.com/Kinetis/Vseries


Murata’s ultra-high density powerconverters are market leading inefficiency and form factor


Mouser Electronics, Inc. is now stock-ing the ADS8339 Low Power ADCsfrom Texas Instruments. Optimized forlow power operation, where powerconsumption scales directly withspeed, the ADS8339 is a miniature,micro-power, 16-bit analog-to-digi-tal converter (ADC) that dissipatesonly 17.5mW at a sampling rate of250KHz, and only 0.25μW in power-down state. The ADS8339 is a suc-cessive-approximation register(SAR) ADC with an integrated sam-ple-and-hold. The high performanceand low power dissipation of thesedevices makes them ideal for low-power ADC applications.The Texas Instruments ADS8339Low Power ADC, available fromMouser Electronics, is a single-channelADC that operates with a 2.25V to5.5V external reference. The ADS8339 provides a unipolar sin-gle-ended input range from 0V toVREF. The device offers zero latency atfull speed, and uses an internal clockfor conversion. The capacitor-based

SAR ADC on the ADS8339 is based ona charge redistribution architecture,which inherently includes a sample-and-hold function. To obtain the bestSAR performance, the reference driv-er and the input driver circuit must be

optimized. Fully optimized, theADS8339 is capable of 93.6 dB SNR(typ) and –106 dB THD (typ) at a 10-kHz input, with ±2.0 LSB INL (max) and±1.0 LSB DNL (max). Low power dissi-pation of the devices is rated at 17.5mW (typ) at 250 kSPS.MOUSER ELECTRONICSwww.mouser.com

Texas Instruments 16-bit ADS8339 Low Power ADCNow at Mouser

XP Power announced the EML30 seriesof 30 Watt single output ultra compactAC-DC power supplies designed foruse in medical applications. The EML30series has the smallest footprint and thehighest power density in the industrywhen compared to other similar 30Watt power supplies with medical safe-ty approvals. Competitively priced, theversatile EML30 series also offers moremechanical formats and mountingoptions than the competition.Factors driving the demand for this typeof unit are the desire for, and the devel-opment of, smaller portable medicalequipment. Accordingly, the EML30 willfind favour with customers requiringmedical safety approvals and where thepower source needs to occupy minimalspace. The EML30 is also ideal wherethe requirement is for a Class II inputtype power supply and where noground / earth connection is needed.The ultra compact EML30 is the small-est 30W medical power supply in theindustry. The open frame PCB mount

version measures a diminutive 75.2 ×34.6 × 26.7mm (2.96 × 1.36 × 1.05 inch-es), offering a power density of 7.1 Wper cubic inch. Exhibiting versatility, theEML30 is available in a range ofmechanical formats. There are openframe versions with either PCB mountor with connectors, encapsulated mod-

els with either PCB mount or screw ter-minals, and a DIN rail mount option.These make life easier for designers byproviding multiple mounting optionsto best fit their end system.XP POWER www.xppower.com

XP Power launch 30 Watt medical power supply inindustry’s smallest footprint

Murata announced the launch of the D1U86P Seriesof ultra-high density power converters from MurataPower Solutions. The 1600 watt rated D1U86 fea-tures AC-input and DC-input models. The powersupplies are designed to fit 1U enclosures, andmeasure a mere 86 mm wide and 197.7 mm deep.High density packaging techniques provide a mar-ket leading 38W per cubic inch power density.

Each D1U86P power supply generates a main out-put of 12VDC. There is also a 12VDC standbyoutput for power management circuitry. The mainDC output delivers up to 133.3 A, with droop cur-rent sharing when paralleling multiple power sup-plies. Up to 8 power supplies may be used in par-allel for very high current applications up to andbeyond 1,000A.With output ratings of 1600W for 180-264Vacinputs, 1350W for 108-264Vac, and 1200W for90-264Vac inputs, the converters provide higherpower at low line levels when compared to com-petitors’ similar power supplies. The D1U86 seriesachieves 94% efficiency at 50% load.Again improving on competitors units, the con-verters’ offer a hold up time of 12ms, compared tocompetitors’ 10ms. Simplifying design, theD1U86P series uses the same form factor for AC orDC inputs, and both models are available for anyairflow type. Exhibiting high reliability, the con-verters MTBF exceeds 540khr as per Telcordia SR-322 M1C1 at 40°C, and for convenience and famil-iarity they use a standard C14 AC-input connectorand a terminal block for DC-input. Targeted for networking applications, storage,high performance computing and data centers,Murata’s D1U86P series uses the very latest powerswitching technology and high density componentpackaging techniques to provide a truly marketleading product.MURATAwww.murata.com

Murata’s eighth brick DC/DC modules haveultra wide Vin range for improved systemavailability



Digital-to-analogue converters with non-volatile memory and I2C™ from Microchipfeature 8-, 10- and 12-bit resolutionMicrochip announces the expansion of its non-volatile Digital-to-Analogue Converter (DAC) product line with the MCP47FEBXXdevices. The low-power, single- and dual-channel DACs feature8-, 10- and 12-bit resolution, integrated EEPROM and an I2C™interface, and are offered in 8-pin TSSOP packages. The DACsare ideal for applications in the consumer and industrial markets,such as wireless microphones, MP3 player accessories and bloodglucose test devices and applications such as motor control,instrumentation, sensor calibration, set point/offset trimming,among others.

The integrated EEPROM enables DAC settings to be recalled atpower-up, for added system flexibility. The choice of 8-, 10- and12-bit resolution provides flexibility with design requirementsand cost. The various shutdown modes significantly reduce thedevice current consumption for power critical applications.These devices offer customers the ability to utilise the internalbandgap for device voltage reference, simplifying developmentand lowering system cost, or use an external voltage referencesource in order to optimise their design.

The MCP47FEBXX is supported by Microchip’s 20-Pin TSSOPand SSOP Evaluation Board (TSSOP20EV) priced at $9.99.

The MCP47FEBXX is available now for sampling and volume pro-duction in 8-pin TSSOP packages.

MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGYwww.microchip.com/MCP47FEBXX-Page-022315a

Murata Power Solutions’ UWE eighth brick DC/DC power mod-ules are the industry’s first 1/8 brick to deliver 12Vout at 120Wfrom a nominal 12V, 24V or 28VDC source. The UWE-12/10-Q12xx-C series’ 4:1 Vin range of 9-36V, industry standard DOSAcompliant form-factor, optional integrated baseplate and high effi-ciency makes it ideal for high reliability systems & systems requir-ing battery back up. The UWE-12/10-Q12xx-C will operate downto 9Vin allowing longer battery discharge times in the event of asource failure. The 91+% efficiency rating of these modules alsomeans that they will operate in harsh environments and requireless cooling hardware compared to equivalent (larger) powermodules. Significant overall system cost reductions can beachieved when employing this eighth brick solution compared toequivalent quarter or half brick solutions.

The UWE-12/10-Q12xx-C is an ideal choice for high reliability -industrial, transportation and telecommunications equipmentrequiring 12Vdc from a source of 12V, 24V or 28VDC. Muratadeveloped the UWE-12/10-Q12xx-C to address the need for a12Vout DC/DC converter able to deliver 120W and provide2250Vdc input to output isolation from a 9-36V source. Designedto offer the power systems architect options that include anoptional baseplate for conduction cooling applications, positiveor negative logic control and features, 2250Vdc I/O isolation, out-put over voltage protection, thermal shutdown, current limit /short circuit protection and Vout adjust (±10%).The UWE-12/10-Q12-C isolated DC/DC power converter repre-sents the next generation converters in the industry standardeighth brick package with up to 120W of available output power.These DC/DC converters are designed for systems employing dis-tributed power architectures or intermediate bus architectures inapplications that include but not limited to battery charging/back-up systems, telecommunications, lighting applications, motor con-trol, robotics and anywhere that 12V @ 120W is required from a9-36Vdc source including applications where extreme operatingtemperatures will be required The modules feature an operatingtemperature range of -40 to 85°C.

MURATA www.murata.com

Key Facts:• MCP47FEBXX family provides low-power, single and dual-

channel DACs and integrated EEPROM in 8-pin TSSOP packages• Shutdown modes significantly reduce current consumption for

power-critical applications • Enhances flexibility with choice of resolution and cost/

performance optimisation• Integrated EEPROM enables DAC settings to be recalled at

power-up• Offers choice of using internal or external voltage reference


INDUSTRY PRODUCT NEWS

l RASPBERRY PI 2 MODEL B

RS Stock No.: 832-6274

The Raspberry Pi 2 Model B represents a major performance increase over itssingle-core based predecessors: up to six times faster in fact. As well as a newquad-core Cortex-A7 processor, the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B now features1GB of RAM memory. The operating system kernel has been upgraded totake full advantage of the latest ARM Cortex-A7 technology and is availablewith the new version 1.4 of NOOBS software (See Note below). Backwardapplication hardware and software compatibility has been maintained withthe Raspberry Pi 1 Model A+/B+.

Note: Previous versions of NOOBS software (1.3.x) are NOT compatible with Raspberry Pi 2 Model B. You may purchase a ready-programmedMicroSD memory card with NOOBS 1.4 software: 849-2012 or program your own after downloading NOOBS 1.4 from: http://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/Few accessories: you can need for Raspberry Pi 2: approved power supply, RS Stock No: 822-6373, Raspberry Pi 2 Model B cases, RS StockNo: 819-3646, 819-3655 and 819-3658, Raspberry Pi 2 Model B is also available in boxes of 150, RS Stock No: 847-2816

ELECTRONICS DESIGN ENGINEERS

Aurocon Compec has a portfolio of over 500.000 products from over 2,500 trusted global brandsand in every month it adds over 5.000 new products for the whole range. Choosing the right dis-tributor is as important as choosing the right technical components for your business.We offer you continuous improved services that can help you with your production facilities. Animportant part of our services refers to delivery. Now the lead time has become lower thus thedelivery faster as in you can have now the products you need in 24 hours delivered directly to yourdoor. No order is too small or less important for us!You can find in the following a selection of new available products .

NEW PRODUCTSfrom Aurocon COMPEC

Chip Broadcom BCM2836 SoCProcesor CPU 900 MHz Quad-core ARM Cortex-A7GPU Dual Core VideoCore IV® Multimedia Co-Processor

Provides Open GL ES 2.0, hardware-accelerated OpenVG, and 1080p30 H.264 high-profile decodeCapable of 1Gpixel/s, 1.5Gtexel/s or 24GFLOPs with texture filtering and DMA infrastructure

Memory 1GB LPDDR2Power Micro USB socket 5V, 2AEthernet 10/100 BaseT Ethernet socketVideo Output HDMI (rev 1.3 & 1.4) Composite RCA (PAL and NTSC)Audio Output 3.5mm jack, HDMIGPIO Connector 40-pin 2.54 mm (100 mil) expansion header: 2×20 strip Providing 27 GPIO pins as well as +3.3 V, +5 V and

GND supply linesCamera Connector 15-pin MIPI Camera Serial Interface (CSI-2)Display Connector Display Serial Interface (DSI) 15 way flat flex cable connector with two data lanes and a clock laneMemory Card Slot Micro SDIO



l ANALOG DEVICES: ADSP-BF707 BLACKFIN® PROCESSOR EVALUATION EZ- KIT


Analog Devices offer the evaluation hardware Kit ADZS-BF707-EZLITE. This EZ KIT isfor use with the BlackFin®ADSP-BF70x Digital Signal Processor series and it is suppliedwith an ICE-1000 emulator.The Evaluation Board/Kit will provide a solution for evaluating the ADSP-BF70x BlackfinDigital Signal Processor (DSP) product family. The hardware is for use with theCrossCore® Embedded Studio (CCES) software and this development tool will test theability of the ADSP-BF70x Blackfin Processors. It will support applications where youmay need to debug and develop your design. The ADSP-BF707 Board DesignDatabase contains all the necessary information for the design, layout, fabrication andassembly of the ADSP-BF707 EZ-Board.

Procesor ADSP-BF707 BlackfinSupervisor ADM6315 Regulator ADP5024 Dual buck, plus LDOMemory Micron MT47H128M16 2G bit DDR2Flash Memory 32M bit Quad SPIWireless Connector RFConverter FTDI FT232RQ USB to UART Interface CAN Interface / Expansion Interface III

l ST MICROELECTRONICS: TSX634IPT


STMicroelectronics offer a range of Quad Operational Amplifiers (Op Amp). Theamplifiers cover a span of types such as general purpose, enhanced, low power, lownoise, high speed to CMOS versions. They can be operated in single or dual powersupply that has several voltage ranges. The four Independent op amps are designed tosuit Industrial control systems and automotive applications.Ultra low current consumption makes ideal for designing into end devices such aspower metering, electrochemical/gas sensors, medical instrumentation among others.

Amplifier Type Micropower CMOSPower Supply Type SingleTypical Single Supply Voltage 3.3 → 16 VTypical Voltage Gain 1GB LPDDR2Typical Gain Bandwidth Product Micro USB socket 5V, 2ATypical Slew Rate 10/100 BaseT Ethernet socketNumber of Channels per Chip HDMI (rev 1.3 & 1.4) Composite RCA (PAL and NTSC)Output Type 3.5mm jack, HDMIMounting Type 40-pin 2.54 mm (100 mil) expansion header: 2×20 strip Providing 27 GPIO pins as well as

+3.3 V, +5 V and GND supply linesPackage Type 15-pin MIPI Camera Serial Interface (CSI-2)Pin Count Display Serial Interface (DSI) 15 way flat flex cable connector with two data lanes and a clock laneTypical Input Voltage Noise Density Micro SDIOMaximum Operating Frequency 10 kHzOperating Temperature -40 °C → +125 °CDimensions 5.1 × 4.5 × 1.05mm



l EATON: DE1 VARIABLE SPEED STARTERS


Offering precise control of AC motors with a simple initial setup, Fit & Forget design makes thisstarter perfect for less complicated installations.For use in any manufacturing industry requiring speed control of AC motors- Pre-wired as a motor starter for out of the box commissioning, no specialist drive knowledge

required. Keeps installation errors to a minimum and saves cost - Ideal for fan speed control, conveyor speed control, packaging machinery, centrifuges / mixers,

automatic barriers.Output Frequency 1Field Bus Communication Type ModBus RTU, OP-Bus (RS485)Filter Included YesCurrent Rating 2.3 ASupply Voltage 230 V acPower Rating 0.37 kWAmbient Temperature Maximum of +50°CIP Rating IP20Overall Length 45mm × 45mm × 231mm

l RS BRAND: PRESSURE TRANSDUCERS AND TRANSMITTERS


Pressure sensors for oil/water or alternatively for grey water. Offer a high-performance, value alternativeto pressure sensors from more established brands, such as Druck or Gems. Ideal for flow control inFood and Beverage / Pharmaceutical / Paper Industry or Utilities.

Pressure Reading Type GaugePressure Reading 0mbar → 500mbarAccuracy < ±0.25 %Media Measured Oil, WaterAnalogue Output 4 → 20 mASupply Voltage 9 →32 V dcHousing Material Stainless SteelIP Rating IP65Operating Temperature -20°C →+125°C

l TELEMECANIQUE: PREVENTA XY2CJ GRAB WIRE SWITCHES AND ROPE PULL KITS


The Preventa XY2CJ emergency stop rope pull switches from Telemecanique are designed to pre-vent injury to people or damage to machinery when a normal emergency stop function is not avail-able. They are easy to install and offer a quick visual check of the switch status for machine restart.Typical applications include woodworking machines, shears, conveyor systems, printing machines,textile machines, rolling mills, test laboratories, paint shops and surface treatment works.

ELECTRONICS DESIGN ENGINEERS



Pole Configuration 3PNormal State Configuration NO/2NCMaximum Rope Span 30mMaximum Current 0.1 A@ 250 V dc, 1.5 A@ 240 V acNumber of Cable Entries 1Size of Cable Entries M20IP Rating IP66, IP67Operating Temperature -25°C → +70°CDimensions 158 mm × 64.2 mm × 109 mm

l HELLERMANNTYTON: HEGWS BURST PROTECTION BRAIDED SLEEVING


HEGWS range of sleeving can be used to protect hydraulic hoses, preventing injuries due toleaks emitting high pressure liquid jets. Also excellent tear resistance, abrasion protection,hydraulic hose optimum protection, liquid jet injuries minimised.Meets EN ISO 3457 standard for Earth Moving Machinery and EN 1299 for MechanicalVibration and Shock, making them ideal for protecting exposed pipework heavy-duty movingequipment (earth-moving), conveyors, large machinery.

Sleeve Diameter 20mmMaterial PolyamideSleeve Length 50mOperating Temperature -60°C →+125°CWall Thickness 1.1mm

l MOTOROLA T80 TWO-WAY RADIO WITH LCD DISPLAY


Ultimate specification, rugged and all-weather proof, the TLKR T80Extreme is ready for adven-tures in the harshest of environments. A tough water resistant design and essential accessories, theTLKR T80Extreme will keep you in touch on the wildest tracks and highest peaks.

Radio Style Handheld, HeadsetNumber of Channels 8Number of Sub-Codes 121Operating Frequency 12.5kHzBattery Life 16h

MAINTENANCE AND INSTALLATION ENGINEERS

Aurocon Compecwww.compec.rowww.designspark.com

For more information about the products please access http://ro.rsdelivers.com


PRODUCT NEWS PASSIVE COMPONENTS

AVX extends the lifespan of its THH 230°Chermetic series tantalum capacitorsAVX Corporation has extended the lifespan of its THH230ºC hermetic series high temperature SMD tantalumcapacitors to 10,000 hours at 200ºC and 50% derating.Available in two large case sizes (9/CTC-21D and I) thatprovide high capacitance values spanning 22μF to100μF, THH series capac-itors feature the highesttemperature ratings ofany SMD tantalum capac-itor series available onthe market: -55°C to+230°C for 9/CTC-21Dcase components and -55°C to +215°C for I casecomponents. Encased inhermetically sealed ceramic packages, THH series capac-itors also exhibit superior stability when exposed to hightemperatures, high humidity, and ambient atmosphere,and are impervious to the capacitance drop common tohigh temperature operation, enabling significant sizereductions, lower component counts, and reliabilityimprovements in extremely high temperature applica-tions, such as down-hole oil drilling. AVX www.avx.com

Vishay Intertechnology launches anew digital RGBW sensor featuringFiltron™ technology for accurateRGBW spectral sensitivity, while pro-viding ambient light spectral sensitivi-ty with responses close to that of the

human eye. The digital RGBW sensorVEML6040 is available at distributorRutronik as of now. The newVEML6040 color sensor incorporatesphoto-pin-diodes (RGBW) and a sig-nal processing IC in a compact 2.0

×1.25 × 1.0mm surface-mount, 4-pinOPLGA package, while offering an I2Cbus interface for simple operation. Itsenses red, green, blue as well aswhite light and offers 16-bit resolu-tion for each color channel. The sen-sor makes LCD and LED panels morecomfortable for end users’ eyes andprovides fluorescent light flickerimmunity. With an operating voltageand I2C bus voltage range of 2.5V to3.6V, a low power in shutdown modeof < 1μA and an excellent temperaturecompensation stability from -40° to+85°C, the VEML6040 sensor is idealfor a wide range of applications, e.g.color balancing, backlight control, andcolor temperature measurement inconsumer devices such as smart-phones, digital camera, and televisions. RUTRONIKwww.rutronik.com

RUTRONIK SMART: Integrated RGBW Color Sensor from Vishayfor High Spectral Sensitivity

Extensive Weidmüller OMNIMATE® deviceconnection and housing technology nowavailable at TTITTI, Inc. is now offering device connectivity specialistWeidmüller’s OMNIMATE® technology in Europe,including OMNIMATE® Signal, OMNIMATE® Power andOMNIMATE® Housings. This wide product range ismodular and flexible, suits diverse applications in manyproduct sectors, and offers ease of design-in as well asmanufacturing. OMNIMATE Signal’s wide range includesextremely compact PCB terminals and plug-in connec-tors and is optimised for space-saving application-ori-ented design and efficient time-saving SMT production.Intelligent locking concepts combined with high per-formance enableapplication-spe-cific solutions tobe created. THRand SMD compo-nents ensure highproductivity lev-els during thereflow solderingprocess. Powerelectronics appli-cations evolve constantly and quickly, which increasesthe demands on connection systems. Weidmüller OMN-IMATE high-performance Power PCB connectors, termi-nals and feed-through terminals are standard-compliantto IEC 61800 for speed-controlled drive technology.

TTI www.ttieurope.com

ep&dee no 2, 2015

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