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PRODUCTS IN FOCUS• SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

• INTERNET OF THINGS

• BOARD LEVEL DESIGN

• INTERCONNECTIONS

• GRAPHIC DISPLAYS

• TEST EQUIPMENT

• EMBEDDED SOFTWARE

• TOUCHSCREENS

22 NOVEMBER 2016

The IoT revolution continues

Comment

www.newelectronics.co.uk 3

This year’s electronica, held in Munich earlier this month, highlighted the growing

impact of the IoT on businesses across the electronics sector

6 BOARD LEVEL DESIGN

Mentor Graphics

7 INTERCONNECTION

METZ Connect

8 Affordable clusters:

Could the 40nm node enable

makers of low to mid-

range vehicles to radically upgrade

the traditional instrument cluster?

11 EMBEDDED SOFTWARE

HCC Embedded

12 The test market opens up:

Developments in low cost VNAs

are helping to find new

applications, according to Anritsu’s

Paul Holes

14 The right touchscreen:

Choosing between projected

capacitance (PCAP) and resistive

touchscreen technologies

15 SWITCHES

Schurter

Contact details

Editor Neil Tyler

[email protected]

Online Editorial Assistant

Peggy Lee

[email protected]

Group Editor Graham Pitcher

[email protected]

Sales Manager James Creber

[email protected]

Publisher Peter Ring

[email protected]

T: 01322 221144 F: 01322 221188

www.newelectronics.co.uk

Published MA Business, Hawley Mill, Hawley

Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7TJ

© MA Business 2016

Printed in the UK by Pensord Press

Earlier this year Vodafone’s IoT Barometer found that there has been a significant

increase in the number of businesses placing the Internet of Things at the heart of their

operations. And, in keeping with its motto - “Connected Worlds - Safe and Secure,”

this year’s electronica, the world’s largest electronics trade fair, demonstrated how far

the various aspects of our lives will be networked with one another in the future.

That connectivity will redefine our everyday lives both the exhibition as well as

numerous conference sessions saw the issue of security take centre stage.

The difficulties of securing products and systems, according to Kurt Sievers,

European Vice President and General Manager Automotive, NXP Semiconductors, are

immense.

Speaking at electronica he warned that, “Smart technologies and applications

make it vital for new security solutions to keep up with this development. Security by

design must be an important guiding principle for the industry.”

“It will play a key role in the future,” explained Christoph Stoppok, Managing

Director of the Electronic Components and Systems Division of the ZVEI (German

Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association). “but the only way to instil trust

in consumers and successfully sell smart devices is to make high-tech products and

their components secure.”

While security is crucial, it is also highly complex and a secure IoT can only be

achieved in close collaboration with the IT industry. It is certainly true

to say that security has been an afterthought when it comes to the

Internet, because it was not designed into it.

With the Internet of Things dominating this year’s show

there were over 2900 exhibitors in attendance. Besides

Germany, the countries with the largest contingents of

exhibitors were from China, Taiwan, the USA and Great

Britain. As for visitor numbers Italy, Austria, Great Britain

and Northern Ireland, France and Switzerland accounted for

the top five in terms of the numbers attending this year’s

show.

That alone suggests that there is enormous

innovative strength, dynamics and

interest in the electronics industry.

Shows like electronica

certainly demonstrate the

momentum behind the IoT

and in this month’s Products

in Focus we focus on some

of those very technologies

helping to drive this

fascinating technology.

Neil Tyler

Editor, New Electronics

www.digikey.co.uk

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entor.com

Mentor Graphics is a technology

leader in electronic design

automation (EDA), providing

software and hardware design

solutions that enable companies

to develop better electronic and

mechanical products faster and more

cost-effectively.

The company offers innovative

products and solutions that help

engineers overcome the design

challenges they face in the

increasingly complex worlds of board

and chip design.

Mentor Graphics has the broadest

industry portfolio of best-in-class

products and is the only EDA

company with an embedded

software solution.

Services

Design-Through-Manufacturing PCB

Systems Development

Mechanical Analysis

Functional Verification

Design to Silicon

New and Emerging Products

Electrical System and Harness

Engineering

Electronic System Level (ESL) Design

Embedded Systems Design

Contact details

Mentor Graphics (UK) Ltd.

Rivergate

Newbury Business Park

London Road

Berkshire

RG14 2QB

tel: +44 (0)1635 811411

www.mentor.com

Design solution for multi-boardsXpedition multi-board systems design

solution for multi-discipline collaboration

Multi-board systems may comprise two

boards or up to hundreds of boards –

packing a cabinet or rack with connectors

and/or cables and wiring harnesses.

Since the hardware functionality is now

distributed across multiple boards, the

system integrator must determine the

connections that need to be made between

each board and to external interfaces.

Spreadsheets are the most commonly

used tool to define and manage this

connectivity, but as design complexity

rises this information may run

into tens of thousands of

connections.

To manage

multi-board

systems design

complexity

effectively, Mentor

Graphics’

Xpedition

enables

concurrent

multi-discipline team

collaboration. The Xpedition

flow maximises team efficiency by

eliminating redundant effort during the

design process, while optimising product

performance and reliability with a data

management infrastructure. This ensures

data integrity and leverages reusable IP

across all boards, connectors and cables in

the system.

Designing systems that contain

multiple interconnected boards

(connectors and/or cables) has

traditionally been done with separate

board and cabling projects ‘kludged’

together by desktop office tools, such as

spreadsheets for intra-board connectivity;

text files for system element parameters;

and drawing applications for block level

system structure and hierarchy. This

leads to poor collaboration between

cross-domain design teams; costly intra-

system connectivity errors; extensive

time-consuming manual validation steps;

and restrictive system change rules that

prohibit system design optimisation. This

also impacts the ability to design networks

of interconnect electronic systems –

known as ‘system-of-systems’ – which are

commonly seen in automotive, satellites,

industrial automation and data centre

infrastructure.

The Xpedition design flow improves

design team productivity and reduces

development cost by replacing inefficient

paper and manual processes with an

automated, fully integrated, collaborative

workflow. The automated synchronisation

between all levels of abstraction and

automated connector management will

help design teams achieve time-to-market

targets. Signal tracing, functional and

signal integrity simulation, and design

partitioning and re-partitioning while

maintaining connectivity content ensures

‘correct by construction’ system design.

The Xpedition flow is a fully parallel

collaborative design environment where

global teams can work in ‘real-time’,

providing companies with the flexibility

and intuitive technologies to develop

innovative and competitive products.

Mentor Graphics’ Xpedition solution is

a single integrated environment for multi-

board systems design, including logical

design, partitioning and connector and

wiring management. For the first time,

the entire hardware design, from multi-

board system specification to completed

PCBs and cables can be handled with one

seamlessly integrated flow.

high reliability of automotive EV and

HEV powertrain and other high-power

applications to minimise field failures and

warranty costs.

Board Level Design

Mentor Graphics’

Xpedition multi-

board systems

design flow enables

concurrent multi-

discipline team

collaboration to

manage today’s

increasing system

complexity.

www.newelectronics.co.uk6

www.digikey.co.uk

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-con

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Fast, easy and safe

A new range of spring terminal blocks

with eccentric lever system ensure a

perfect wire connection

The pluggable and solderable METZ CONNECT spring clamp terminal blocks of the ST and SP series ensure a perfect wire connection for all applications.

These spring clamp terminal blocks with eccentric levers are used in devices for industrial and/or building automation such as rail-mounted devices, rail-mounted power supplies or Ethernet I/O bus modules. But they are also used in end devices, for example in the audio and video (amplifi ers) sector.

The terminal blocks are supplied with open wire entry to provide a fast wire connection. They are suitable for an easy connection of solid or stranded wires with or without end sleeves without the need of a special tool. When the wire entry is closed, the inserted wire establishes a reliable contact with the contacts in the spring terminal block.

The terminal blocks of the ST and SP series are available in centerlines from 2.5 mm up to 10.16 mm with pole sizes between 2 and 24; and accept wire cross

sections up to 2.5 mm² (up to AWG 12). The standard housing colours are grey and black, but customer specifi c designs with different pole and/or lever colours or individual printing of the poles are possible.

Learn more about the standard or customer specifi c solutions of the METZ CONNECT spring terminal blocks with eccentric levers under

www.metz-connect.com.

Interconnection


www.digikey.co.uk

The personal commitment of the

founding family characterises

the international success of the

independent METZ CONNECT

group of companies – strength

in innovation, highly effective

processes and partner-spirited

business relationships. METZ

CONNECT offers a broad-spectrum

portfolio of highly specialised,

superior quality plug connection

components. Worldwide, METZ

CONNECT employs approximately

800 staff.

Product range

U|Contact: Connection systems for

Printed Circuit Boards. Spring, screw

and IDC type terminal blocks, board-

to-board connectors, pin headers,

USB, RJ12, RJ45 jacks and M12

Ethernet connectors.

P|Cabling: Copper and fi bre optic

structured cabling network solutions.

C|Logline: Intelligent system

and switching cabinet solutions.

Ethernet, LON, BACnet, Modbus I/O

Modules. Interface modules. Time,

measurement and monitoring relays.

Standards and certifi cations

METZ CONNECT products are

certifi ed by: UL, SEV, CSA, CCA, DIN

EN ISO 9001:2008, RoHS

Industries served

Industrial automation and

electronics, building automation

controls, data and communication

systems.

Contact

METZ CONNECT GmbH

Im Tal 2

78176 Blumberg

Germany

Email (sales):

[email protected]

Sophisticated graphics displays

in the instrument cluster are

a proven way for makers of

premium vehicles to add consumer

appeal and cachet to new high-end

models of car. Audi has won rave

reviews for its ‘Virtual Cockpit’

instrument cluster in the 2016 TT

roadster.

This type of cluster display

is visually exciting, intuitively

informative, easily configurable on-

the-fly to display different types of

data or image appropriately. The

contrast with conventional electro-

mechanical dials and gauges is stark.

And thanks to the user-interface

innovations of smartphones and

tablets, today’s car buyers’ appreciation

of the performance and appearance of

the displays in the cabin is acute. The

instrument cluster, in other words,

has become an important marketing

differentiator in premium vehicles.

The sophisticated graphics display-

based instrument cluster has not

found its way into the mainstream

low-end and mid-range markets for

new cars – at least, not yet. There is

a very simple reason for this: cost. A

graphics display such as that in the

2016 Audi TT, which contains no

mechanical dials or gauges, calls for

a large TFT LCD display, and an

expensive chipset consisting of a high-

end microcontroller with a separate

high-performance graphics processor

unit (GPU).

The BoM cost for such a system

is many multiples of the BoM cost

of a conventional electro-mechanical

cluster.

But if a manufacturer of a mid-

range model could produce a more

affordable variant of the high end

graphics display in the instrument

cluster, it could gain a real competitive

edge. As a result automotive OEMs

and tier one suppliers are developing

variations on the theme of the ‘hybrid’

cluster with a high performance

graphics display: typically this

combines conventional electro-

mechanical dials either side of a TFT

LCD screen.

The advantage of this configuration

is that the LCD screen can be much

reduced in size and resolution

compared to the all-electronic display

in a high-end vehicle, providing a large

Products in Focus

www.digikey.co.uk

Affordable next generation clusters Could the 40nm node enable makers of low to mid-range vehicles to radically upgrade the traditional

instrument cluster? Mathias Bräuer thinks it will.

Figure 1:

An early

implementation

of the hybrid

cluster with 2D

graphics, in the

2012 Hyundai

Sonata.

Phot

o cr

edit

: Rac

hel


BoM cost saving while still enabling

the display of sophisticated 2D or 3D

graphics. Information types such as

mapping or parking assistance can be

displayed impressively in 2D or 3D on

a display measuring 3.5in diagonally.

This still, however, leaves the other

large component of the system BoM

cost of an all-graphics display: the

chipset. To satisfy the BoM budget

constraints of a mid-range vehicle,

a single-chip solution for the entire

instrument cluster is required – and

this is where migration to the 40nm

node has provided a breakthrough.

The 40nm node has turned out to be

a successful one for the semiconductor

industry: yielding well, it is cost

effective while providing great scope to

integrate more or better features in a

given die size.

And a single chip instrument

cluster design requires a great deal of

integration: it might include a high

performance CPU, an LCD controller,

high speed communications interfaces

and multiple peripherals. Crucially, it

also needs a large, high speed RAM,

since memory capacity is a hard

constraint on the display size and

display resolution that a system can

support.

Lifting memory density

An example of the potential for

integration provided by the migration

to the 40nm node is provided by

the Traveo family of automotive

microcontrollers from Cypress

Semiconductor. Today’s 40nm

Traveo devices offer up to 4Mbyte

of embedded flash memory which

operates at up to 80MHz without wait

cycles, along with 384kbyte of SRAM.

The 40nm MCUs also integrate an

ARM Cortex-R5F core, which has an

instruction and data cache operating

at up to 240MHz and produces 400

DMIPS.

For many cluster designs, the

memory embedded in the S6J33xx

devices will be sufficient, helping the

designer to minimise costs, power

consumption and footprint. If even

the 40nm devices’ embedded memory

provision is not sufficient, however,

the Traveo MCUs feature a HyperBus

interface, which may be used to

connect to external memory. The

current generation of HyperRAM

and HyperFlash memories developed

by Cypress offer a peak bandwidth

of 200Mbyte/s over a 3V HyperBus

interface, giving the user high speed

operation while avoiding the high unit

cost of DRAM parts.

Crucially, implementation of the

Traveo platform design at 40nm

allows integration of all the functions

of a hybrid instrument cluster:

• Communication is provided by

up to six channels of Controller Area

Network-Flexible Data (CAN-FD)

interfacing. An Ethernet AVB media

access controller (MAC) enables the

device to communicate with a vehicle’s

networking backbone. There is also a

multi-function serial interface with up

to 12 channels.

• Security of the cluster’s data

and signals is safeguarded by the IC’s

Secure Hardware Extension (SHE), a

secure zone within which the device

performs key storage, AES-128 data

encryption/decryption and random

number generation.

• Driving the electro-mechanical

elements of the cluster – the MCU

includes six stepper motor controllers

to run needles for the speedometer, rev

counter etc.

• Audio sub-system – a 10-input

sound mixer combined with a stereo

audio DAC can generate a range of

sophisticated sounds, and outputting

them to the vehicle’s speakers over a

two channel I2S interface. Cypress

provides a sound authoring tool to

support this function.

• LCD controller – the device

can drive a TFT-LCD panel of 4 x

32 segments. The device provides a

simple RGB888 video output.

• System control – the ARM

Cortex-R5F core supports real-time

operations and runs the Autosar 4.0.3

operating system. Real-time capability

is crucial for safety-critical functions

such as driving the speedometer

needle.

This combination of capabilities

makes the latest S6J33xx devices

suitable for hybrid clusters with a

small display: highly integrated, they

enable designers to optimise the size

and BoM cost of their system while

providing for good-quality rendering

of graphics encoded off-chip.

The MCUs also integrate an LCD

bus controller. Combined with the

display controller, this offers a low cost

means to directly drive displays. The

display sub-system’s integral plane has

one layer with decompression support.

Its fractional plane can combine up

to eight layers with different sizes,

colour formats and update rates.

The eight layers themselves cannot

be blended, but both planes can be

alpha-blended. All layers can be stored

in any memory, including external

HyperFlash or HyperRAM memories.

“The instrument

cluster, in other

words, has become

an important

marketing

differentiator in

premium vehicles.”

Mathias Bräuer

www.digikey.co.uk


Reading the available graphics from

several sources, this allows a connected

display to be driven without the need

for a frame buffer, reducing the size of

memory required to address any given

display size or resolution.

Affordable implementation

Migration to the 40nm node, then,

has enabled Cypress to substantially

lift the level of integration of functions

and capabilities in its Traveo series of

automotive MCUs. In particular, the

provision of up to 4MB of on-board

Flash memory offers the potential

for next generation hybrid clusters’

2D graphics displays to operate

without recourse to external memory,

thus reducing the footprint, power

consumption and BoM cost of the

system. These next generation clusters

will offer a user experience which

has a feel similar to that of premium

vehicles’ full free programmable

clusters, but at a fraction of the BoM

cost.

The use of a single-chip solution

such as a S6J33xx MCU for these

hybrid instrument clusters also

streamlines the development process,

since the operation of the entire cluster

can be implemented within a single

development environment supporting

the MCU. What is more, other

devices in the Traveo MCU family

provide a migration path to higher-

end hybrid clusters. The S6J327Cx

series, for instance, integrates highly

efficient 2D/3D graphics engines, and

provides support for popular graphics

development tools including CGI

Studio and Altia Design.

The availability of multiple variants

of the Traveo MCU platform allows

manufacturers to modify a base cluster

design to address the specifications for

lower- or higher-end models, while

using a single set of development tools.

As a result, manufacturers of low-

end and mid-range vehicles have the

opportunity to close the gap between

the appeal of old-style clusters and the

sleek, attractive operation of an Audi

TT-style cluster, at only a small BoM

cost premium above that of the old-

style instrument cluster.

Author details:

Mathias Bräuer is director of product

marketing at Cypress Semiconductor.

“Manufacturers now

have the opportunity

to close the gap

between the appeal

of old-style clusters

and the sleek,

attractive operation

of modern clusters.“

Products in Focus

Figure 2: In the

Traveo MCUs,

the display

controller and

the LCD bus

controller share

the same pins

Frame generator

Gamma

Dithering

Signature

Display control

6

Host I/F

Packing unit

Sequencer

Protocol engine

Display

LCD-bus I/F

Video

Mux

Pins

Integral plane

Fractional plane

Bus data


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Protecting embedded IoT data

Tackling the challenges associated with

network communications

The powerful new generation of connected IoT microcontrollers and applications brings a new set of challenges requiring careful thought and engineering. Networked communications entails data security risks and storing data in flash can cause problems both with data security and reliability. As things stand today, most file systems can’t ensure reliable, safe flash storage and many network stacks are vulnerable to security risks. Responsible development requires an assessment of how data can be communicated and stored safely, reliably and securely.

Safe, reliable storage:

HCC supplies an extensive range of file systems, media drivers, flash translation layers (FTL), smart meter software, bootloaders and encryption technology.

These products are designed to operate securely and reliably with any type of flash or storage medium including NAND, NOR, SSD, eMMC or any removable media. Developers often use inadequate, general-purpose file systems with only vague references to quality, reliability and security.

HCC storage products can be optimised for any hardware and the detailed requirement specifications that ensure a system is reliable by design are always provided. Without these specifications it is not possible to create a system that can cope with power-fail or unexpected reset.

TCP/IPv4, IPv6, Encryption,

TLS/SSL, IPSec/IKE:

The key to a successful embedded application is to use high-quality software that is verifiably developed and ensures a stable, low- risk development platform.

HCC’s TCP/IP stack was developed with a rigorous approach to quality using a strongly typed subset of the ‘C’

language. The approach incorporates a strong adherence to the MISRA-C:2004 standard and was validated using advanced verification tools.

All software is provided with optimised Ethernet drivers and will integrate easily with any RTOS. The implementation was designed for high performance on a microcontroller.

There are no unnecessary copies, well thought out static memory management and dedicated memory areas and cache are fully exploited. HCC’s networking solution provides a significant range of protocols, as well as support for both IPv4 and IPv6, providing flexibility and long-term network compatibility.

Upgrade any RTOS, flash, network, processor or toolchain: all storage and communications products are written using modern coding techniques and are completely portable and target independent. This means that they can be used to upgrade almost any processor, flash or RTOS to be fail-safe, reliable and secure.

All software comes with highly efficient abstractions that can easily be changed to ensure it is a long-term investment that can be carried forward to future projects.

Thanks to the investment in V-model design, most software components can be applied to areas where reliability and certification standards are high, such as medical, transport, industrial, aerospace and power generation.

Embedded Software


HCC’s mission is to ensure that any data stored or communicated by an embedded IoT application is secure, safe and reliable. Most embedded software used to transmit or store embedded data is not developed using recognised quality standards. Most flash file systems can’t ensure reliable, safe storage and many network stacks are vulnerable to security risks. HCC applies quality practices used to develop functional safety applications to ensure that software is robust, reliable and that quality claims can be verified. All drivers and abstractions are provided meaning virtually no integration is required. This means any embedded system can be upgraded to be safer, more reliable, and more secure.

Product rangeTCP/IPv4 & IPv6Verifiable IPSec/IKEV2Verifiable SSL/TLSUSB Device, Host & OTG Software

Fail-safe File Systems for NAND/NOR/eMMCFlash Translation LayersSmart-meter File SystemAdvanced bootloaders

Standards and certificationsProducts supplied with life-cycle evidence to support standards used in medical, industrial and transport industries through managed services programme.

Specialist sectors / industries servedConsumer, Industrial, Communications, Medical, Transport

ContactHCC-Embedded22 Stafford St, Edinburgh EH3 7BDTel: +44 (0)7918 787 571email: [email protected]

www.digikey.co.uk

All software is

provided with

optimised Ethernet

drivers and will

integrate easily with

any RTOS. There

are no unnecessary

copies, well thought

out static memory

management and

dedicated memory

areas and cache are

fully exploited

As test equipment has evolved,

there has been a drive to

provide unique and identifiable

differentiations in feature sets and

capabilities, suggesting to customers

they will have an advantage over their

competitors by providing tighter

specification thresholds. For most

modern Vector Network Analysers

(VNAs), this trend has led to their

capabilities becoming complex,

resulting in an increased cost of

ownership for the user, not just in

terms of capital equipment costs,

and calibration and support costs,

but also in the time required for user

understanding and training, as well

as for any control software control or

drivers to be written.

Cost/benefit considerations

For R&D requirements, the costs are

usually understood and allowed for in

the sense that the customer has a real

choice over the type of test that needs

to be done and how best it is realised.

However, as all types of measurement

are needed in the R&D environment,

expensive pieces of test equipment are

being used for low cost measurements,

which is tying up valuable R&D time.

In a wider context, in addition

to R&D customers aiming to derive

even tighter performance thresholds,

other parallel research work may be

required from outside contractors who

have little finance available for capital

expenditure on test equipment, and

who therefore may procure the services

of a research organisation or university

department to perform the work on

their behalf.

Interestingly, many VNA

applications require only basic

functionality, such as S-parameter

measurement capability and some

subsequent post-processing software.

To date, this combination of features

has only been possible by using

existing high-performance VNAs:

a situation that has led to users

being reluctant to pay for unused

advanced VNA features: especially

in applications where the size of the

equipment has presented additional

difficulties in terms of the available

space and the design of the testing

location.

Simplicity and compactness

With the latest developments in

lower-cost and more compact VNAs,

however, the simplicity and compact

nature of the VNA hardware allow

it to be quickly prepared for antenna

S-parameter measurements (Figures.

1 and 2), as used by Dr Massimo

Candotti at the Antenna Measurement

Laboratory, Queen Mary University of

London.

In this application, the VNA can be

mounted vertically against the antenna

chamber, allowing it to be as close

to the antenna under test as possible.

The Anritsu Shockline MS46322A,

for example, can be quickly prepared

for bench use for standard microwave

device and antenna S-parameter

measurements or for more dedicated

applications. Unlike earlier VNAs,

which used GPIB for their commands

and could only cope with one

frequency measurement per turntable

revolution, the Shockline VNA has

high directivity and signal/noise ratio

in conjunction with high measurement

and processing speeds, and therefore

allows multiple frequency beam

pattern measurements at the same

time as the turntable is moving.

Performance of this nature was

only previously available in high-end

VNAs, which are large and bulky, and

have many other features that would

not necessarily be used even though

they had been paid for.

“Growing

complexity has led

to VNA capabilities

becoming more

complex, resulting

in an increased cost

of ownership.”


Products in Focus

www.digikey.co.uk

The test market opens upDevelopments in low cost VNAs are helping to find new applications, according to Paul Holes.

Figure 1. VNA

test set-up

with vertical

mounting close

to the antenna

under test

Automated testing

Another typical application example

for the MS46322A is its use in an

automated test system with an in-

house LabVIEW graphic user interface

capable of the simultaneous retrieval

of multi-frequency antenna beam

pattern measurements while the

antenna under test is rotating on the

turntable.

By taking advantage of the

fast measurement sweeps of the

MS46322A, even at a low IF

bandwidth of 700Hz, a set of beam

patterns at up to 11 frequencies per

full 360° rotation of the turntable

can be recorded with dynamic ranges

greater than 60dB for low gain

antennas.

This application reduced the

testing time in the EMC chamber

dedicated to electrically small

antennas (generally PCB antennas

for a variety of mobile device

applications from 400MHz up to

12GHz), by allowing users to test

the two major antenna beam

patterns in the E- and H-planes in

less than 90 seconds: the time the

turntable takes to go to start position,

complete the full 360° scan and

go back to the antenna boresight

position.

As the cost of VNAs falls,

applications are being driven

more and more by users that are

not traditional VNA users – in

areas such as materials testing and

particle scanning, for example –

where the cost of VNAs had

previously made it difficult to

justify their purchase.

New technologies

Now, however, we are seeing the

emergence of low cost VNAs with

dynamic ranges of up to 100dB and

sweep speeds of less than 100µs/

point. This combination of lower

cost and high performance is the

result of a number of technical

developments, including Anritsu’s

patented ShockLine ‘VNA on a

chip’ architecture using nonlinear

transmission-line technology. These

nonlinear transmission lines or ‘shock

lines’ generate narrow impulses at

high frequencies which extend the

operating range of the sampling

receivers to 40GHz and beyond. With

a higher local-oscillator frequency, this

sampling technique yields better noise

performance than harmonic mixing,

especially at higher RF frequencies.

Together with the higher third-order

intercept point (IP3), this translates

directly to an improved dynamic

range.

With a single-board RF VNA

implementation, and using a COTS

power supply and PC, cost is also

reduced by eliminating the front

panel and keypad, which are not

required remote applications such

as monitoring, ATE and distance

learning. This gives the user the

choice and flexibility to add their own

interfaces or displays, allowing them to

focus on basic features and functions

such as S-parameters and/or time-

domain testing.

Author details:

Paul Holes is a field application

engineer for RF and microwave

products at Anritsu.


www.digikey.co.uk

Figure 2. EMC

chamber

for antenna

testing using

a VNA-based

beam pattern

measurement

system

Quad-ridgedTX antenna

AnritsuMS46322A

Turntablecable

AUT Quad-ridgedTX antenna

AUT

RF coaxial cable

LAN

GPIB

PC and LabVIEW GUI

Turntable controller

VNA

Resistive touchscreens are typically

found in retail electronic point of

sale (EPOS) devices and companies

have traditionally used them in industry.

These have several layers, including two

thin transparent, electrically resistive

layers, separated by a thin space. When

an object such as a fingertip or stylus tip

presses down on the outer surface, the

two layers touch to become connected.

These touchscreens simply need enough

pressure for the touch to be sensed and

can be used while wearing gloves or

other personal protective equipment

(PPE).

Resistive technology has historically

been much cheaper than the newer

projected capacitance (PCAP)

technologies. Resistive’s higher

resistance to liquids and contaminants is

also particularly beneficial in restaurants,

factories and hospitals, where there is a

risk of spillages. Resistive touchscreens

can also be protected by the use of

a cover sheet. This is particularly

important in the food industry where,

in the case of breakage, glass shards do

not contaminate food. A cover sheet

contains the spread of any shards to

prevent them from shattering over the

production area.

A drawback of resistive screens is that

they tend to be more opaque and the

clarity of the screen is lower. For some

industrial environments, this is not an

issue and the robustness and low costs

makes resistive touchscreen technology a

reliable choice.

Capacitive

Recent developments in touchscreen

technology have led to the widespread

use of capacitive touchscreens. Anyone

that uses a modern smartphone or

tablet will be familiar with capacitive

technology.

A variant of this technology,

projected capacitance (PCAP)

touchscreens function in a different

manner to resistive touchscreens. They

are formed of rows and columns of

conductive material, which is layered

on sheets of glass. When voltage is

applied to the grid, it creates a uniform

electrostatic field. This field is disrupted

when a conductive object such as a

finger comes into contact with the

grid. This exact point of contact is

then measurable due to a change in

capacitance, meaning the computer can

accurately track touch input.

PCAP touchscreens are being

increasingly used in retail environments.

These use multi touch technology,

which allows for a simple-to-use

interface that requires no training.

Additionally, they can have anti glare

covers and cover the device from edge

to edge, meaning there are no bezels,

improving the aesthetic appeal of the

device.

Application

To protect the touchscreen and the

PC itself against vandalism or damage,

PCAP touchscreens feature a layer on

the outer surface otherwise known as a

sacrificial layer. Although traditionally

made from glass and prone to etching

and damage, these layers can now be

made from polycarbons, which remove

the potential of damage to the layer, yet

also eradicate the potential of shattered

glass.

At Distec, we’ve sold touchscreens

for over fifteen years to customers from

a range of sectors and we know that

there isn’t one touchscreen to fit all.

PCAP and resistive touch screens, as

well as the numerous others available

on the market have advantages and

disadvantages. When choosing a

touchscreen for use in your business,

whether for an outdoor kiosk or a

bustling factory, it is important to

choose the right one for your needs.

Rather than simply selecting the

cheapest product from the internet,

it is more cost effective to work with

suppliers who allow you to loan the

products and test them in real life

environments. This means that if, for

example, you choose a PCAP product

and it’s now what you were looking

for, you can easily swap to another

technology without having to risk high

capital expenditure on a product that is

not fit for purpose.

Touch screen technology may

have come a long way since 1966, but

choosing the wrong touch screen for

your application can make it just as

expensive and difficult to use as the first

ever touch screen.

“Touch screen

technology has

come a long way

since 1966, but

choosing the wrong

touch screen for

your application

can make it just as

difficult to use as

the first ever touch

screen.”


Comment

www.digikey.co.uk

Choosing the right touchscreenTouchscreen technology has come a long way since it was first used in 1966. Noel Sheppard explains

how to choose between projected capacitance (PCAP) and resistive touchscreen technologies.

Noel

Sheppard is

director of

industrial

computing

specialist

Distec

ww

w.sc

hu

rter.c

o.u

k

New multicolour switch with status display

New metal line switches with multicolour

illumination and variable input voltage

from SCHURTER

SCHURTER is expanding its PSE piezo

metal switch and MCS 30 mechanical

metal switch series, with new illumination

possibilities powered by variable

input voltages. Based on RGB colour

technology, it’s now possible to indicate

up to seven illumination colour options

with just one switch. The variable power

supply offers a homogenous and brilliant

illumination within a voltage range of 5 to

28V DC.

Illumination

Multicolour illumination of the PSE

and MCS 30 series is made easy using

convenient colour-coded wires in each of

the illumination colours. Each colour is

given a specific voltage between 5 to 28V

DC. The constant brightness intensity is

maintained, regardless of applied voltage.

The standard version is offered in red,

green, and blue. Additional colour options

include yellow, cyan, magenta and white,

which can be made through additive

colour mixing.

As soon as the two or three wires are

supplied with the applied voltage at the

same time, the result is a mixed colour.

The traffic light colours of red, green and

yellow (RGY) for status indication are also

available as a standard version. No additive

colour mixing is required to produce the

colour yellow.

Expanded application range

The RGB multicolour illumination option

expands the application range of the PSE

and MCS 30 button style switches.

The PSE is available in diameters of

22, 24, 27 and 30mm diameters, while

the MCS 30 has a diameter of 30mm.

The PSE has an IP69K ingress protection

rating. It has no moving actuator and

is thus impervious to any leaks or

accumulation of dirt underneath or

around the switch surface. This technology

is ideal for hygiene-related applications

such as medical equipment and food

processing equipment, as well as for

outdoor applications subject to vandalism,

such as ticketing machines.

The MCS 30 is an alternative to the

highly robust, solid state PSE. It is also

designed for demanding applications,

although it uses a tactile switch that

provides a clear haptic feedback. It has a

lifetime rating of 1million actuations, as

opposed to the PSE’s 20m operations. The

switch contacts are sealed from the front

and rated IP65.

Technical Data:

• Input voltage variable from

5 to 28V DC

• Multicolour illumination with seven

different colours

• Red, green, yellow configuration for

status indication

• Customer specific adjustments are

possible

• IP69K for the piezo switches

• Easy to clean

Switches

New metal line

switches offer

multicolour

illumination


SCHURTER is an internationally

leading innovator and manufacturer

of electric and electronic

components. The company focuses

on safe power supply and easy-

to-use equipment. Its extensive

product portfolio comprises

standard solutions in the fields

of circuit protection, plugs and

connectors, EMV products, switches,

input systems and electronic

manufacturing services. SCHURTER’s

global network of representative

offices ensures reliable delivery

and professional customer service.

Where standard products are

unsuitable, the company develops

client-specific solutions.

Product ranges

Circuit protection; connectors;

switches; EMC products

Certifications

SCHURTER products are certified

according to the following standards

and carry country specific approvals:

UL, CSA, VDE (ENEC10), METI, CCC,

KTL

Contact:

If you require further information,

please contact SCHURTER using the

following information.

SCHURTER LTD

8 Clock Park

Shripney Road

Bognor Regis

West Sussex, PO22 9NH

t: +44 (0)1243 810 810

e: [email protected]

www.schurter.co.uk

www.digikey.co.uk

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