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Crystal clock oscillator operates over 1.6 to 3.63-V range

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IQD Frequency Products has launched new tight stability and variable supply voltage crystal clock oscillator which operates with a supply voltage range from 1.6 V to 3.63 V. The IQXO-951 25TS series delivers a frequency stability performance down to ±5 ppm over the full industrial temperature range of – 40 to 85 degrees C.

Housed in a 2.5 x 2.0 mm package the new clock oscillator is suitable for most applications that are designed for battery-powered products. Common markets for these applications are IoT, communication, medical, and many others.

 

Latest release of ROS allow for rapid development, testing, debugging of distributed robotics system

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Real-Time Innovations (RTI) announced the availability of the Connext 6 ROS Middleware Wrapper (RMW) Layer, bringing the field-proven, production-grade strength of RTI Connext 6 to the latest release of the Robot Operating System (ROS 2). Robotics software developers can now leverage the ROS 2 ecosystem together with RTI Connext Tools to more rapidly develop, test, and debug distributed robotics systems. RTI will showcase the new Connext RMW layer at ROS World on November 12. 
 
ROS 2 offers an open-source framework for building robotic systems. RTI is the leading supplier of software compliant with the Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, which provides the connectivity backbone for ROS 2. The new Connext 6 RMW layer now provides a best-of-both-worlds solution by connecting the ROS 2 ecosystem with RTI’s latest software and Connext Tools.
 
The new Connext RMW layer offers: The flexibility of the ROS 2 platform combined with complete access to RTI Connext tools for improved distributed system visualization and debugging capabilities; Support for RTI Connext DDS Professional in Connext 6, used for industrial and military robotics applications where reliability and scalability are of paramount importance; Support for RTI Connext DDS Micro; Support for future releases of the Connext Product Suite
 
RTI delivers the connectivity framework for safe, secure, reliable operations in complex, cooperative, and autonomous robotics systems. RTI’s software is proven in robotics systems around the world including automotive, medical, manufacturing, aerospace & defense, and more.
 
RTI Connext DDS is active in over 250 autonomous vehicle projects and more than 50 commercial autonomous systems, such as Aptiv, Baidu Apollo, Voyage, and Xpeng Motors. In June 2020, RTI joined the Autoware Foundation, an open alliance for autonomous driving technology, where RTI is leveraging its experience with ROS 2 to help advance the foundation’s Autoware.IO and Autoware.Auto initiatives. RTI is the only DDS vendor to be named an AUTOSAR Development Partner and contributes to the development of the AUTOSAR standard for highly autonomous vehicles. 
 
RTI Connext DDS can also be found at the core of NASA’s rovers and space robots, leveraged by the European Space Agency’s robotic arm, and implemented in TechnipFMC’s semi-autonomous underwater ROVs.  It is also widely used in building and running robotics projects in leading universities around the world. More recently, RTI Connext DDS was used by the collegiate teams entered in the Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) as they participated in the September hackathon, one of several leading up to the IAC final race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 23, 2021. 

Health sensor kit cuts development time for wearables

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Save at least six months of development time using the Health Sensor Platform 3.0 (HSP 3.0) from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. Also known as MAXREFDES104#, this ready-to-wear wrist form factor reference design monitors blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate (HR), body temperature, and motion. Included algorithms provide HR, heart-rate variability (HRV), respiration rate (RR), SpO2, body temperature, sleep quality, and stress level information at clinical-grade levels. It allows wearable designers to start collecting data immediately, saving at least six months over building these devices from scratch. Designed for wrist-based form factors, HSP 3.0 can be adapted for other dry electrode form factors such as chest patches and smart rings.

Compared to its industry-leading predecessor, Health Sensor Platform 2.0 (HSP 2.0), the HSP 3.0 adds optical SpO2 measurement and dry-electrode capability to the ECG. As a result, it can enable end solutions to monitor cardiac heart and respiratory issues for the management of ailments like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), infectious diseases (e.g. COVID-19), sleep apnea, and atrial fibrillation (AFib). Compared to its predecessor, the narrower form factor and enhanced optical architecture of HSP 3.0 improves signal acquisition quality and uses upgraded microcontroller, power, security, and sensing ICs. The reference design includes complete optical and electrode designs, along with algorithms to meet clinical requirements.

Maxim Integrated is at the forefront of the wearable healthcare and remote patient monitoring revolution, enabling personalized healthcare as well as better predictive and preventive healthcare solutions. Medical professionals and end-users are using the wealth of health insights from these wearables. They can more proactively manage chronic conditions, diagnose acute conditions like COVID-19, and also improve preventive care and overall well-being. As more sensing modalities are included in wearables, device developers can take advantage of multiple measurements to improve the accuracy of the actionable insights that are being provided to users.

HSP 3.0 or MAXREFDES104# includes the following sensor, power management, microcontroller, and algorithm products:

  • MAX86176: Lowest-noise optical photoplethysmography (PPG) and electrical ECG analog front end (AFE), which offers 110dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to add SpO2 saturation capability and over 110dB common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) for dry electrode ECG applications. The device enables synchronous acquisition of PPG and ECG measurements, even with independent sample rates, providing pulse transit time for cardiac health use cases.
  • MAX20360: Highly integrated power and battery management power management IC (PMIC) optimized for advanced body-worn health sensing devices. It includes Maxim Integrated’s high-accuracy ModelGauge m5 EZ fuel gauge, a sophisticated haptic driver, and a unique low-noise buck-boost converter that maximizes SNR and minimizes power used for optical bio-sensing.
  • MAX32666: Bluetooth (BLE)-enabled, ultra-low-power microcontroller with two Arm Cortex-M4F cores and an additional SmartDMA which permits running the BLE stack independently, leaving the two main cores available for major tasks. Moreover, the microcontroller integrates an entire security suite and error-correcting code (ECC) on the memories to significantly increase the system’s robustness.
  • MAX32670: Ultra-low-power microcontroller dedicated to Maxim Integrated’s world-class PPG algorithms of pulse rate, SpO2, HRV, RR, sleep quality monitoring, and stress monitoring. It can be configured either as a sensor hub to support firmware and algorithms or as an algorithm hub to support multiple algorithms. The MAX32670 seamlessly enables customer-desired sensor functionality, including managing the MAX86176 PPG and ECG sensor AFE as well as delivering either raw or calculated data to the outside world.
  • MAX30208: The low-power, high-accuracy digital temperature sensor comes in a small package size of 2mm x 2mm. It has a 33 percent lower operating current compared to the closest competitive solution. It reads the temperature on the top of the package and can be mounted on a flex cable or PCB, making it easier to design into wearables. With an accuracy of 0.1-degrees Celsius, the MAX30208 meets clinical temperature requirements.

Key Advantages include: Saves at least six months in development time; Accuracy meets regulatory requirements for SpO2 and ambulatory ECG (IEC 60601-2-47); Addresses the needs of advanced health wearables with SpO2, ECG, HR, HRV, RR, body temperature and motion; Empowers designers to innovate with complete access to source code and design files

HSP 3.0, also known as MAXREFDES104#, is available with hardware, firmware, and algorithms for $400 at Maxim Integrated’s website

Multiprotocol wireless modules boast full-stack support for IoT apps

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Silicon Labs announced a portfolio expansion of pre-certified wireless modules specifically designed to address the modern needs of IoT application development. The portfolio consists of the only modules in the industry with full-stack support for multiprotocol solutions to enable commercial and consumer IoT applications, with flexible package options and highly integrated device security.

Silicon Labs highly integrated modules are available in multiple package options including system-in-package (SiP) and traditional printed circuit board (PCB). SiP modules contain miniaturized components that remove the need for complicated RF design and certification by opening space-constrained IoT designs to module-based solutions. PCB modules enable flexible pin access and additional options to extend RF performance.

xGM210PB features Secure Vault, the ARM PSA Level 2 certified state-of-the-art IoT device security, as well as dynamic multiprotocol support for Bluetooth, Zigbee, and OpenThread with robust and supports Wi-Fi coexistence. Optimized for IoT applications, including connected lighting, gateways, voice assistants, and smart meter in-home displays, xGM210PB modules offer up to +20dBM output power and better than -104dBm sensitivity.

BGM220 is one of the world’s smallest Bluetooth modules and the first to support Bluetooth Direction Finding. The integrated, pre-certified Bluetooth 5.2 module delivers up to ten-year operation on a coin cell battery, ideal for a broad range of Bluetooth LE applications including appliances, asset tags, beacons, portable medical, fitness, and Bluetooth mesh low-power nodes.

MGM220 is a low-power, low-cost ideal for eco-friendly, ultra-low-power IoT products including include lighting controls, building, and industrial automation sensors. The modules are ideal for Zigbee Green Power and energy harvesting applications.

BGX220 Xpress includes an onboard Bluetooth stack, Xpress command interface, and pre-programmed cable replacement firmware to deliver a serial to Bluetooth LE solution needing no firmware development. The modules are ideal for industrial applications including human-machine interface (HMI) devices, addressing size, safety, and environmental challenges.

The modules are supported in the free Silicon Labs Simplicity Studio 5, a fully integrated development environment, featuring comprehensive software stacks, application demos, and mobile apps, along with premium features, such as a network analyzer and patented energy profiler. Customers are also able to further accelerate wireless development by taking advantage of simple APIs from Silicon Labs Xpress modules.

Samples, production quantities, and development kits for xGM210PB, BGM220, MGM220, and BGX220 Xpress are available now.

Clock oscillator remains stable when powered from varying battery voltage

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IQD Frequency Products is pleased to launch its newest standard packaged clock oscillator series, the IQXO 951, which operates with a supply voltage range from 1.6 V to 3.3 V. Many of today’s industrial and consumer applications require batteries as a power source. Therefore, products need to handle a change in voltage as the battery discharges. This can lead to design issues when using a standard oscillator with a fixed supply voltage. A discharging battery may cause a decrease in the source voltage, which consequently changes the frequency of the oscillator. Following this, the timing accuracy within the application will decline.

The IQXO-951 is available in industry-standard packages of 3.2 x 2.5 mm, 2.5 x 2.0 mm and 2.0 x 1.6 mm. It will allow electronic equipment manufacturers to benefit from standard stability of ± 25 ppm over the industrial temperature range from -40 to 85 degrees C. Moreover, parts are also available with an extended temperature range up to -40 to 125 degrees C.

The new clock oscillators are suitable for most applications that are designed for battery-powered products. In addition, customers could reduce their BOM management by using a single part instead of multiple oscillators with fixed supply voltages. Common markets for these applications are Telecommunications, IoT, Communication, medical, and many others.

MCUs integrate configurable analog/digital peripherals, mixed-signal development environment

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Sensor-based Internet of Things (IoT) applications rely on a combination of analog functionality and digital control capability to meet a challenging list of requirements including low cost, small size, performance, and low power. Addressing this challenge through a focus on increased microcontroller (MCU) integration, Microchip Technology Inc. announced the PIC18-Q41 and AVR DB MCU families that are the first to combine advanced analog peripherals and multi-voltage operation with inter-peripheral connections for increased system integration and reduced signal acquisition times and offer the convenience and efficiency of operating in a single design environment.

To address the need for signal conditioning in space-constrained sensing and measuring applications such as IoT end nodes and industrial, medical devices, wearables, automotive and lighting systems, the PIC18-Q41 MCU has a configurable Operational Amplifier (Op-Amp) and Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) with computation and Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs). It is particularly well-suited for IoT and large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) at-the-edge, including predictive maintenance edge nodes in a smart factory. Offered in compact 14- and 20-pin packages, the PIC18-Q41 MCU also makes a good companion to Microchip’s 32-bit MCUs and other controllers that require analog integration.

Mixed-signal IoT systems often include multiple power domains, and the AVR DB MCU simplifies the challenges of these designs while reducing cost by integrating true bi-directional level shifters. This feature lowers cost in a wide range of applications including automotive, appliances, HVAC, and liquid measurement. The addition of three independent and highly configurable Op-Amps, a 12-bit differential ADC, 10-bit DAC, three zero-cross detectors and Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) makes the AVR DB MCU ideal for virtually any application involving analog signal conditioning and processing functions.

The PIC18-Q41 and AVR DB MCU product families are supported by Microchip’s MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE), it’s MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC), and the MPLAB Mindi Analog Simulator. MCC is a free software plug-in that provides a graphical interface to configure peripherals and functions specific to an application. In addition to MCC, the AVR DB is supported by Atmel START, Atmel Studio, and third-party tools such as IAR and the GCC C compiler. MCC and START help analog and digital designers easily configure an Op-Amp system for various typical use cases through a graphical user interface with no coding required.

Both MCU families offer a compact, cost-effective development board with programming and debugging capabilities: the PIC18F16Q41 Curiosity Nano Evaluation Kit (EV26Q64A) and the AVR DB Curiosity Nano Evaluation Kit (EV35L43A). Quick start guides for the PIC MCU and the AVR MCU are available to start projects immediately.

The PIC18-Q41 and AVR DB MCUs are offered in a range of memory sizes, packages, and price points. The PIC18-Q41 pricing starts at $0.65 in 10,000-unit quantities. The AVR DB pricing starts at $0.95 in 10,000-unit quantities.

Software development tools certified for RISC-V use

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IAR Systems further extends its strong tools offering for RISC-V by announcing a certified version of its development tools. The functional safety edition of IAR Embedded Workbench for RISC-V will be certified by TÜV SÜD according to the requirements of IEC 61508, the international umbrella standard for functional safety, as well as ISO 26262, which is used for automotive safety-related systems. In addition, the certification covers the international standard IEC 62304, which specifies life cycle requirements for the development of medical software and software within medical devices, and the European railway standards EN 50128 and EN 50657.

The functional safety edition of IAR Embedded Workbench includes a functional safety certificate, a safety report from TÜV SÜD, and a Safety Manual. With the certified tools, IAR Systems provides a Functional Safety Support and Update Agreement with guaranteed support for the sold version for the longevity of the contract. Along with prioritized technical support, the agreement includes access to validated service packs and regular reports of known deviations and problems.

Functional safety certification for RISC-V will be available for the next version, 1.40, of IAR Embedded Workbench for RISC-V. The certification process is expected to be finalized in early 2021.

SBC drives four displays for graphic-intensive embedded apps

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Review Display Systems Inc. announced the availability of the Kontron D3713-V/R industrial specification SBC (single board computer). Able to drive four independent displays, with resolutions of up to 4K, the highly integrated Kontron D3713 is ideally suited for use in a wide range of embedded systems featuring graphics-intensive applications.

Designed by Fujitsu, and manufactured in Germany, the Kontron D3713-V/R mini-ITX motherboard series supports fan-less operation with AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 and R1000 series processors. The D3713-V/R provides exceptional graphics performance with the integrated AMD Radeon Vega GPU (graphics processor unit) providing support for up to four DisplayPort (DP V1.4), one embedded DisplayPort (eDP V1.4) and one dual-channel 24-bit LVDS display interface connections, and display resolutions of up to 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels).

Five D3713-V/R motherboard versions are available supporting a range of AMD Embedded Ryzen processors including the V1202B, V1605B, V1807B, R1305G, and R1606G, which enables the graphics performance of the board to be easily adapted for many varied applications such as process control, industrial automation, digital signage, medical imaging, public information kiosks, and facilities management systems.

Support for a wide range of embedded systems is enabled with an extensive range of on-board peripherals and interfaces including ethernet 10/100/1000, RS-232/422/485 serial comms, GPIO, USB 2.0 and 3.1, SATA III, Mini-PCIe interfaces, and HD audio.  The D3713-V/R can be uniquely configured with memory options of up to 32GB DDR4 3200 SDRAM in dual SO DIMM sockets.

The compact mini-ITX form factor of the D3713-V/R has mechanical outline dimensions of 6.7″ x 6.7″ (170mm x 170mm). A wide operating temperature range of 0°C to 70°C is supported.

The Kontron D3713-V/R SBC will operate with a Microsoft Windows 10 or Linux-64 operating system. Review Display Systems can create bespoke options for both firmware and OS support, such as custom embedded Windows system images, and exclusive configurations to provide corporate branding or logos on BIOS start-up splash screens.

Designing and delivering fully integrated embedded systems, Review Display Systems can provide turnkey solutions for the integration of computing hardware, high-resolution displays, touchscreens, interconnect, mechanical fixtures and fittings, firmware, and OS support.

The Kontron D3713-V/R mini-ITX motherboard series is available immediately from Review Display Systems, Inc.

Software suite verifies assembly/object level code on ARM CPUs for DO-178C Level A compliance

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LDRA announced its extension of object-code verification to deliver advanced software testing for Arm-based chips used in safety-critical aerospace & defense and automotive applications. With Arm chipsets becoming increasingly prevalent in the core CPUs of both aircraft and automobiles, safety-critical verification becomes essential. LDRA’s support enables software developers to leverage the LDRA tool suite to verify code coverage at both the assembly and source code levels.

Arm-based devices can often be found in ISO 26262–compliant automotive applications up to and including ASIL D, and they continue to gain traction as ADAS and autonomy become increasingly significant. Conversely, Intel and PowerPC have long been the architecture of choice for aircraft computers to gain high-integrity computing in a rugged, SWaP (size, weight, and power)–constrained environment. However, as Arm has proven its reliability, low power, and versatility in automotive and mobile applications, avionics engineers are now also turning to general-purpose Arm processors. By extending object-code verification to Arm-based chips, LDRA enables compliance to Level A—the highest safety requirements—of DO-178C, the safety-critical standard for aerospace, and provides an opportunity for automotive developers to provide a similar level of assurance for the most demanding of applications in their domain.

In addition to championing coding standards, LDRA has provided the LDRA tool suite to enable companies to meet safety-critical and security-critical standards compliance in multiple industries including aerospace & defense, automotive, rail, nuclear power, industrial control, and medical devices. Compliance with the highest safety-critical standards requires testing of assembly-level code—a level of support that LDRA has offered companies for more than 40 years.

LDRA’s decision to join Arm’s Functional Safety Partnership Program has enabled it to equip the Arm community with functional safety capabilities, specifically driving compliance efforts in those application areas requiring functional safety and security standards. Thanks to its rich heritage and leadership role in safety-critical support, LDRA supports many compilers and toolchains, such as those from Green Hills Software, IAR, Wind River, Tasking, and Keil.

MCUs target IoT apps with crypto engine capability

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Renesas Electronics Corporation announced the expansion of its RA6 Series microcontrollers (MCUs) with nine new RA6M4 Group MCUs, increasing the RA Family to 42 MCUs. These 32-bit MCUs boost operating performance up to 200 MHz using the Arm Cortex-M33 core based on Armv8-M architecture with Arm TrustZone technology. The RA6M4 MCUs deliver optimized performance together with leading-edge security and connectivity supported by the easy-to-use Flexible Software Package (FSP). In addition, the Renesas partner ecosystem offers software and hardware building blocks that work out-of-the-box with RA6M4 MCUs and FSP to address Industrial 4.0, building automation, metering, healthcare, and home appliance applications.

With strong security, rich connectivity, large embedded RAM with parity/ECC, low power consumption, and leverage of the Arm developer and tools ecosystem, the RA6M4 MCUs speed the development of intelligent IoT edge and endpoint devices. Renesas’ enhanced Secure Crypto Engine delivers excellent security solutions, incorporating multiple symmetric and asymmetric cryptography accelerators, advanced key management, security lifecycle management, tamper detection, and increased resistance to side-channel attack, in addition to Arm TrustZone technology. These integrated security features make the RA6M4 MCUs the ideal choice for connected applications and enable customers to realize lower BOM cost and secure element functionality in all their IoT designs.

Built on a highly efficient 40nm process, the RA6M4 MCUs drive power consumption down to 99uA/MHz while running the CoreMark algorithm from flash. The MCUs also support fast wake-up times of 30 µs from standby using a high-performance on-chip oscillator. Their high integration up to 1MB code flash memory and 256 KB of SRAM (64 KB with ECC) also make the RA6M4 MCUs well suited for low power and safety applications.

Key Features of the RA6M4 Group include: 200 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 with TrustZone technology; Renesas’ Secure Crypto Engine as part of a full security solution; Scalable from 64-pin to 144-pin LQFP packages; Ethernet controller with DMA; Capacitive touch sensing unit; USB 2.0 Full Speed and CAN; QuadSPI and OctaSPI memory interface, and advanced analog; SCI (UART, Simple SPI, Simple I2C), and SPI/ I2C multi-master interface; SDHI and SSI (Serial Sound Interface)

The RA6M4 with Flexible Software Package (FSP) allows customers to re-use their legacy code and combine it with software from partners across the vast Arm ecosystem to speed the implementation of complex connectivity and security functions. The FSP includes FreeRTOS and middleware, offering a premium device-to-cloud option for developers. These out-of-box options can be easily replaced and expanded with any other RTOS or middleware.

The FSP provides a host of efficiency-enhancing tools for developing projects targeting the RA6M4 MCUs. The e2 studio Integrated Development Environment provides a familiar development cockpit from which the key steps of project creation, module selection and configuration, code development, code generation, and debugging are all managed. FSP uses a GUI to simplify the process and dramatically accelerate the development process.

The RA6M4 MCUs are available now from Renesas’ worldwide distributors.