Новини світу мікро- та наноелектроніки

Lynred of Grenoble, France — which designs and manufactures infrared (IR) sensors for aerospace, defense and commercial applications — has completed its biggest space contract so far, worth tens of millions of euros. After beginning in 2004 with Lynred conducting pre-development technology studies followed by a design and production phase in 2011, the firm recently delivered to Thales Alenia Space the last of 26 IR detector flight models destined for the more than 20-year operational lifespan of the MTG (Meteosat Third Generation) mission, a European Space Agency (ESA) program that aims to revolutionize storm prediction and enhance weather forecasting...

Renesas has introduced the CCE4511 four-channel IO-Link master IC and the ZSSC3286, an IO-Link-ready sensor signal conditioner IC. Widely used in industrial automation, the IO-Link digital communication protocol enables seamless communication between sensors, actuators, and other devices in an automation system.

The CCE4511 four-channel master transceiver delivers 500 mA of drive current per channel. It integrates an IO-Link frame handler to offload lower-layer communication tasks, reducing microcontroller loads. This high-voltage interface IC offers both overvoltage and overcurrent protection and operates at ambient temperatures up to 125°C. It also detects ready pulses from IO-Link devices, supporting the IO-Link Safety System Extension.

With its embedded IO-Link compliant stack, the ZSSC3286 dual-path sensor signal conditioner eliminates the need for an external microcontroller for stack operation. It accurately amplifies, digitizes, and corrects sensor signals, supporting most resistive bridge sensors and external voltage-source elements. A 32-bit Arm-based math core handles digital compensation for offset, sensitivity, temperature drift, and nonlinearity, using a correction algorithm with calibration data stored in reprogrammable nonvolatile memory.

Both the CCE4511 and ZSSC3286 are available now from Renesas and authorized distributors.

CCE4511 product page 

ZSSC3286 product page 

Renesas Electronics 

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Infineon is set to debut its HybridPack Drive G2 Fusion, a power module combining silicon and silicon carbide (SiC), at next month’s electronica 2024 trade show. Intended for traction inverters in the e-mobility sector, the plug-and-play module balances performance and cost for optimized inverter design.

SiC offers higher thermal conductivity, breakdown voltage, and switching speed than silicon, making it more efficient but also more expensive. The new module reduces SiC content per vehicle while maintaining performance and efficiency at a lower cost. Infineon reports that system suppliers can achieve near full-SiC efficiency with just 30% SiC and 70% silicon.

The HybridPack Drive G2 Fusion delivers up to 220 kW in the 750-V class, ensuring high reliability across a temperature range of -40°C to +175°C with enhanced thermal conductivity. Infineon’s CoolSiC MOSFET and silicon IGBT EDT3 technologies support a single or dual gate driver, facilitating the transition from full silicon or full SiC inverters to fusion inverters.

To learn more about Infineon’s HybridPack Drive power modules, click here.

Infineon Technologies 

Find more datasheets on products like this one at Datasheets.com, searchable by category, part #, description, manufacturer, and more.

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Marketed under the Crucial brand, Micron’s DDR5 clocked unbuffered dual in-line memory modules (CUDIMMs) and clocked small-outline dual in-line memory modules (CSODIMMs) run at speeds up to 6400 MT/s. According to Micron, this is twice as fast as standard DDR4 speeds and 15% faster than conventional DDR5 without a clock driver.

These commercially available JEDEC-standard modules offer improved speed stability, faster downloads, and enhanced refresh rates for AI PCs and high-end workstations. While most systems rely on the CPU clock signal, Micron’s CUDIMMs and CSODIMMs integrate a clock driver directly into the memory module to maintain stability.

Intel has validated Micron’s DDR5 CUDIMMs and CSODIMMs for capacities up to 64 GB for use with its Intel Core Ultra desktop processors (Series 2). These modules enable system capacities up to 256 GB for workloads requiring substantial memory density and performance. The validation of these client memory modules by Intel will empower leading PC manufacturers and integrators to adopt Micron’s clock driver-based memory in their PC platforms.

Consumers can purchase the CUDIMM and CSODIMM in 16-GB capacities at Crucial.com, with 64-GB options expected to be available in the first half of 2025.

Micron Technology 

Find more datasheets on products like this one at Datasheets.com, searchable by category, part #, description, manufacturer, and more.

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An RF wireless power tester prototype from Rohde & Schwarz helps to advance AirFuel Alliance RF standardization efforts. The setup, built with the company’s test and measurement equipment and available wireless charging development kits, features test automation and a user-friendly web interface.

R&S demonstrated the proof of concept for testing far-field wireless power systems at the 2024 IEEE Wireless Power Technology Conference and Expo. The R&S Wireless Power Tester (WPT) project aims to provide a comprehensive testing solution for wireless power transmitters and receivers. As an active member of the AirFuel Alliance, R&S contributes to the development of the AirFuel RF standard, a global initiative for standardized RF wireless charging technology.

The test setup includes the SMB100B RF and microwave signal generator, FSV3000 signal and spectrum analyzer, an NGU source measure unit used as a battery emulator, and two HMC8012 digital multimeters. It supports the AirFuel Alliance Conformance Test Specification for RF charging.

To learn more about RF wireless power transfer, click here.

Rohde & Schwarz  

Find more datasheets on products like this one at Datasheets.com, searchable by category, part #, description, manufacturer, and more.

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JEDEC announced upcoming raw card designs for memory modules, which will complement two DDR5 clock driver standards published earlier this year. These raw card memory device standards are intended for use in client computing applications, such as laptops and desktop PCs, and will be supported by related appendix specifications.

Currently, JEDEC’s JC-45 Committee for DRAM Modules is developing the raw card designs in collaboration with the JC-40 Committee for Digital Logic and the JC-42 Committee for Solid-State Memories. The DDR5 clock driver standards include JESD323 (Clocked Unbuffered Dual Inline Memory Module) and JESD324 (Clocked Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module).

Integrating a clock driver into a DDR5 DIMM improves memory stability and performance while enhancing signal integrity and reliability at high speeds. By locally regenerating the clock signal, the clock driver ensures stable operation at elevated clock rates. The initial version of the DDR5 clock driver enables data rates to increase from 6400 Mbps to 7200 Mbps, with future versions targeting up to 9200 Mbps.

According to JEDEC, member DIMM suppliers can provide advance solutions today, while non-members will gain access to design files once published. Available configurations include 1R×8, 1R×8 with EC4, 2R×8, 2R×8 with EC4, and 1R×16.

JEDEC

Find more datasheets on products like this one at Datasheets.com, searchable by category, part #, description, manufacturer, and more.

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https://github.com/TannerNelson16/sprinkler_controller Not sure if this belongs here, but this was originally mostly a software project that's morphed into a little bigger project. It's currently open source, but I may look into selling complete units in the future. Currently designing the enclosure for this unit. Features: MQTT compatibility (Works with Home Assistant) Micropython on ESP32 controller Web Server (Configurable via IP Address) Maintains Operation Regardless of maintained connections. Will broadcast an Access Point if necessary 24VAC input with Custom Voltage Regulator and input capacitors to mitigate ripple from the full wave rectifier LED power Indicators https://preview.redd.it/yr0xq0jdqdvd1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0decb64ef085baee13b635ccc5ed2d1cf6fbe0f2 (I still have to install the remaining LED indicators and the other resistor network if you're confused by the image. Just wanted to get everything tested.) submitted by /u/Tanner234567 [link] [comments]

EDN was able to tour the Si Labs engineering facility in Austin during Embedded world North America. The headquarters were located a convenient 15 minute walk from the convention center, making it a pretty natural choice to explore. The tour mainly covered the analog and RF testing and validation processes with senior applications engineer Dan Nakoneczny and RF engineer Efrain Gaxiola-Sosa. Upon entering, it was readily apparent that the facility was nicely stocked with high-spec test equipment to conduct the range of tests required. The lab managed to host large windows that let in the Texas sun instead of the usual test lab experience—an “instrumentation cave” tucked away in a basement or some windowless-wing of a building. The unfortunate side effect of this was an increase in the necessary cooling required, causing a constant hum of white noise.

Analog testing

Dan Nakoneczny began by showing us the benches to test analog peripherals such as comparators, ADCs, voltage regulators, and oscillators. Generally, the team uses sockets to hold down the device under test (DUT) which could be any of Silicon Labs’ SoCs where the various current, voltage, and timing measurements were not massively impacted by the socket and they allow for one test setup between devices. “We can use the sockets for most of our tests but for other tests, like DC/DC converters, we have to solder the parts down to our boards,” explained Dan. The test bench included oscilloscopes, power supplies, function generators, and a binary counter, “with analog peripherals, you don’t have pins so you’ll have to rely on simulations and have a more indirect way of taking measurements of your system.”

For this lab in particular, the DUTs can range from the typical devices in production to prototypes, “we’re building platform devices and a lot of this IP will be used in the next device that will come out at the end of the year or in a couple of months, so the validation team is between the product engineering and design team trying to find the small parts per million bugs, or issues that a customer might find during high volume production ten years down the road. We can make changes now before it gets stamped into subsequent designs, where we might have to do 10 different revisions,” said Dan.

The automated test setup shown in Figure 1 includes a pick and place robotic arm that uses computer vision to grab and place DUTs in the socket before pressing down the socket and locking the device in place. All measurements go up to the cloud to Silicon Labs’ database where there are special tools used to visualize the data to, for instance, compare it with past devices. 

Figure 1 Automated test setup that can be left for a weekend to test 20 to 50 parts.

RF validation Receiver station

Efrain then guided us through the RF test stations scattered throughout the lab and began at the receiver test setups that sat within large Faraday cages that provided up to 135 dB of isolation to prevent any interference. The PCB presented in Figure 2 shows the Silicon Labs motherboards that are able to receive several daughter cards, “these are developed for each of our products so that the very same infrastructure, connectivity, and flexibility in our lab can be used across multiple platforms. It’s a little challenging to keep them updated all the time, but it makes our life easier,” said Efrain. The RF tests have the unique challenge of requiring soldered down DUTs so a proper test fixture is key and using the same ones across the various RF test stations and, as much as possible, across new production devices must be a challenge. There are specialized motherboards that can go into the oven for temperature testing from -40oC to 135oC. “We have a bunch of switches and so we can test serially, but we cannot test in parallel because our equipment has a single channel for receiving information.” Efrain stressed that the most critical parameter from this test was receiver sensitivity; the better the sensitivity, the more range the wireless signal had. These test setups are also largely automated and can be remotely logged into and controlled outside of the annual calibration required to ensure there are no test errors due to drift.

Figure 2 Setup for the receiver testing with power supply, a microwave switch system, signal generator, and PXI Express backplane chassis/modules.

In-band transmit station

The next stop was the test station for in-band transmissions, “we transmit in several protocols where OFDM modulation is one of the most complex. So we want to make sure we can transmit the high data rates and that it is good enough for the receiver to actually get this information.” Efrain reminded us that the quality of the transmit signals depends largely on its error vector magnitude (EVM), causing this to be one of the more critical parameters this station was meant to measure; however, the setup only measured within the ISM bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).

Figure 3 Test station for measuring in-band transmissions.

Transmitter out-of-band station

For out of band testing (Figure 4), test and validation engineers will take a look at the emissions on other bands including cellular, radar, etc. “Ideally you want to transmit on your channel at a particular frequency alone, but you’re going to have harmonics that exist in frequencies that are a multiple of the fundamental frequency,” explained Efrain, “these cannot be higher than what the FCC allows.” He expressed how the nonlinear nature of fast-switching transistors are often the culprit of this EMI.

The out-of-band station is used for pre-compliance testing before sending their part off to an accredited test lab for full compliance testing. “Our equipment allows us to transmit and analyze some of this data (conducted emissions), so the output goes to the switch, the switch multiplexes the signal from the chip being tested, and this goes to the port of the spectrum analyzer where we can do several operations,” Efrain stated. An oscilloscope can be used in the place of the spectrum analyzer as well to perform other measurements. The power supplies within the setup must be quiet and clean to remove any unnecessary inference from the test instruments themselves. There are also battery emulators within the setup since many of Silicon Labs’ devices function with batteries. 

Efrain continued, “We are sending a signal with a given power say, 1 mW or 0 dBm, where we can go up to 20 dBm. We want to transmit at the highest power possible where one of the key figures is the output power of our power amplifiers; however, if we reach high output powers and we do not pass FCC or ETSI requirements, we cannot sell.” In this station the power of the fundamental is isolated and a notch filter is used to remove it and look at what is appearing at the harmonic frequencies. “If we leave the fundamental there, some energy will leak and the measurement we perform won’t be as accurate,” explained Efrain. 

Figure 4 Test rack for conducted emissions testing. 

Radiated emissions testing

This test setup, naturally, will not perform radiated emissions testing. The Austin facility did house a small chamber for this designed by ETS-Lindgren with a robotic arm used to adjust the DUT for testing at various orientations. This is also used for pre-compliance testing. 

Receiver out-of-band emissions

At this point, we enter yet another Faraday cage, this one much larger to see how Silicon Labs tests how the receivers of their SoCs perform with interference at different bands. “We have specialized equipment to emulate a real RF environment so we test a particular set of signals that could potentially interfere with our DUT, and we want to make sure they don’t.” The setup shown in Figure 5, hosts a lot of switches so that the engineers can test at all the bands/channels of interest.  

Figure 5 Test station to measure how out-of-band interference could impact the receivers on the DUT.

Load-pull stations

The load-pull stations in Figure 6 were a newer test that the validation lab used to make sure that the power amplifiers (PA) were delivering the maximum power efficiency. Efrain explained how fabrication could slightly adjust the load behavior of the DUT from being that more ideal ~50 ohms to something more reactive or capacitive, “in these two stations we are pulling the load that the PA is going to see. The change in impedance will mean that the power we are delivering is not the same and we need to identify what conditions will make our power amplifiers not behave properly and bring that back to our design.” The goal of the test was to build a robust product that meet customer expectations, “You can say you promise a certain performance only under ideal conditions, but can you control the output power and do a feedback loop to make sure that what you say is happening all the time?” 

Figure 6 Load-pull stations used to find the optimal load impedance at the chip pin for maximum power transfer and PA efficiency. 

Radio regression test system

The small shielded enclosures found in Figure 7 are a benchtop solution for isolation (~80 dB) used by the PHY MAC team to conduct the battery of tests necessary. There are four of these boxes carrying test fixtures with 5 different DUTs, all connected to the Keithley’s S46 microwave switch system, configured as a 2:28 multiplexer (MUX). “The team does validation at the PHY and MAC level to identify what we need to change or fix, and to make sure we don’t break anything if we make changes to firmware,” said Efrain, “when you’re working with multiple radio protocols in a single hardware platform, you need to reconfigure your radio to support these different protocols.” The test is also used to emulate the fixes that Silicon Labs develops for customers that face issues in the field, “once those issues are fixed, they’ll come here and hopefully they won’t break anything else.” The regression stations run 24/7 with daily reports on testing.

Figure 7 Radio regression testing with shielded enclosures to test PHY and MAC protocols of the various radio models used in Silicon Labs SoCs.

Aalyia Shaukat, associate editor at EDN, has worked in the engineering publishing industry for nearly a decade with published works in EE journals and other trade publications. She holds a BSEE from Rochester Institute of Technology. 

Related Content

• Combating noise and interference in oscilloscopes and digitizers
• EMC: How to write a good benchtop test report
• Not all oscilloscopes are made equal: Why ADC and low noise floor matter
• How to control your impulses—part 2
• DIY RTD for a DMM
• Why deep memory matters

The post An engineer’s playground: A tour of Silicon Labs’ labs appeared first on EDN.

submitted by /u/Careful_Volume_3935 [link] [comments]

Made some mistakes in the design, but got them sorted and now I’m very happy with the final results! submitted by /u/careyi4 [link] [comments]

In 1986, famed analog innovator Jim Williams, in “Designs for High Performance Voltage-to-Frequency Converters” published his 100 MHz “King Kong” VFC. If anyone’s ever done a faster VFC, I haven’t seen it. However, Figure 1 shamelessly borrows a few of Kong’s speed secrets and melds them with some other simple tricks to achieve 80% of the awesome speed-of-Kong. I call it “Kid Kong.”

Figure 1 “Kid Kong” VFC with take-back-half (TBH) pump and ACMOS prescaler can run at 80 MHz.

Wow the engineering world with your unique design: Design Ideas Submission Guide

What lets the Kid work at a Kong-ish max output frequency with considerably less complexity (about half the parts count) than the King’s? It’s partly the self-compensating TBH diode charge pump described in an earlier Design Idea: “Take-back-half precision diode charge pump”. It also gets help from AC logic family power-thrifty speed that was brand new and just becoming available in 1986. Jim used logic technology that was more mature then, mainly MECL.

The (somewhat tachycardia-ish!) heart of Figure 1’s circuit is the super simple Q1, U1a, D5 ramp-reset oscillator. Q1’s collector current discharges the few picofarads of stray capacitance provided by its own collector, Schmidt trigger U1’s input, D5 and (as little as possible, please) of interconnections. U1’s single-digit-nanoseconds propagation times allows oscillation frequency to run from a dead stop (guaranteed by leakage-killing R4) to beyond 80 MHz, (but not reliably as high as 100). So, the Speed King’s crown remains secure. 

Each cycle, when Q1 ramps U1pin1 down to its trigger level, U1 responds with a ~5 ns ramp reset feedback pulse through Schottky D5. This pulls pin 1 back above the positive trigger level and starts the next oscillation cycle. Because the ramp-down rate is (more or less) proportional to Q1’s current, which is (kind of) proportional to A1’s output, oscillation frequency is (vaguely) likewise. The emphasis is on vaguely.

It’s feedback through the TBH pump, summation with the R1 input at integrator A1’s noninverting input, output to Q1 and thence to U1pin 1 that converts “vaguely” to “accurately”. So, what’s U3 doing?

The TBH pump’s self-compensation allows it to accurately dispense charge at 20 MHz, but 80 MHz would be asking too much. U3’s two-bit ripple-counter factor of 4 prescaling fixes this problem.

U3 also provides an opportunity (note jumper J1) to substitute a high quality 5.000v reference for the questionable accuracy of the 5v logic rail. Figure 2 provides circuitry to do that, with a 250-kHz diode charge pump boosting the rail to about 8v to be then regulated down to a precision 5.000. Max U3 current draw, including pump drive, is about 18 mA at 80 MHz, which luckily the LT1027 reference is rated to handle. Just.

Figure 2 Rail booster and 5.000 volt precision voltage reference.

The 16x preaccumulator U2 allows use of microcontroller onboard counter-timer peripherals as slow as 5 MHz to acquire a full resolution 80 MHz VFC output. It is described in an earlier DI: “Preaccumulator handles VFC outputs that are too fast for a naked CTP to swallow”. Please refer to that for a full explanation.

Stephen Woodward’s relationship with EDN’s DI column goes back quite a long way. Over 100 submissions have been accepted since his first contribution back in 1974.

Related Content

• Take-Back-Half precision diode charge pump
• Preaccumulator handles VFC outputs that are too fast for a naked CTP to swallow
• 20MHz VFC with take-back-half charge pump
• Voltage inverter design idea transmogrifies into a 1MHz VFC
• Single supply 200kHz VFC with bipolar differential inputs
• New VFC uses flip-flops as high speed, precision analog switches
• Temperature controller has “take-back-half” convergence algorithm
• Take-back-half thermostat uses ∆Vbe transistor sensor

 

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The US Department of Commerce have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms for Infinera Corp of San Jose, CA, USA — a vertically integrated manufacturer of open optical networking systems and optical semiconductors — to receive up to $93m in direct funding as part of the CHIPS and Science Act. This proposed direct funding, when combined with investment tax credits available under the CHIPS and Science Act, could result in more than $200m in total federal incentives as well as potential state and local incentives...

In the ever-evolving automotive industry, users demand a seamless Human-Machine-Interface (HMI) experience for their infotainment application. Customers are looking for large touchscreens with advanced features and are venturing into OLED and Micro OLED as their choice of display. OLED is seen as the future of smart mobility applications, enabling flexible design and free-form shapes. Best customer experience coupled with functional safety standards must go hand in hand to provide a seamless journey for the end user. To address these challenges, Infineon Technologies AG introduces the Automotive PSoC Multitouch GEN8XL (IAAT818X), a new generation of touch controllers. Designed for OLED and micro-LED displays up to 24 inches, the touch controller delivers performance and frame rates that meet today’s demands. It ensures a seamless user experience on various touch-based interfaces, such as touchscreens, touchpads, and sliders, while meeting the rigorous automotive standards for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC IEC 61967), including chip-level emission, conducted emission (IEC 62132), and radiated emission (ISO 11452).

The PSoC Automotive Multitouch GEN8XL is AEC-Q100 qualified as well as Auto-SPICE level 3 and ASIL-B compliant. It is offered in two different packages, 128-pin and 100-pin TQFP. The touch controller operates reliably despite water droplets, condensation or sweat and enables users to perform touch operations with gloves up to 4mm. The touch controller’s design allows for scalability to accommodate larger screen sizes, with the possibility of supporting screens up to 55 inches via the implementation of multi-chip architectures. It also supports advanced add-on features like rotary dial and built-in haptics.

Infineon offers a comprehensive support package, including application firmware, design guidance for sensor and Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC), as well as a touch tuning host emulator (TTHE) tuning, to facilitate seamless integration and production.

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The VelocityDRIVE Software Platform enables switch-management communication based on standardized YANG models

Driven by the need for higher bandwidth, advanced features, enhanced security and standardization, automotive OEMs are transitioning to Ethernet solutions. Automotive Ethernet provides the necessary infrastructure to support Software-Defined Networking by centralizing control, enabling flexible configurations and real-time data transfer. To provide OEMs with comprehensive Ethernet solutions, Microchip Technology today announces its new family of LAN969x Multi-Gigabit Ethernet Switches and VelocityDRIVE Software Platform (SP), which is a turnkey Ethernet switch software solution and Configuration Tool (CT) based on standardized YANG models.

The combination of LAN969x devices and VelocityDRIVE SP, the industry’s first integration of CORECONF YANG, offers an innovative industry-standard network configuration solution. The CORECONF YANG standard aims to empower designers by separating software development from the hardware network layer. This reduces complexity and costs and accelerates the time to market.

The high-performance LAN969x Ethernet switches are powered by a 1 GHz single-core Arm Cortex-A53 CPU and feature multi-gigabit capabilities with scalable bandwidths from 46 Gbps to 102 Gbps. Advanced Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is designed to meet precise timing and reliability requirements of applications like Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

“The introduction of the VelocityDRIVE Software Platform provides our automotive customers with a turnkey software switch solution and configuration tool to easily manage in-vehicle Ethernet networking,” said Charlie Forni, vice president of Microchip’s USB and networking group. “The use of the standards-based YANG configuration protocol enables software to be developed independently and reused across multi-vendor Ethernet switches.”

The LAN969x switch family is designed to support ASIL B Functional Safety and AEC-Q100 Automotive Qualification standards, offering high reliability and safety for automotive applications. The devices are optimized for systems with a small embedded-memory footprint and feature secure and fast boot capabilities using integrated ECC SRAM for code execution, which eliminates the need for expensive external DDR memory.

As in-vehicle networking continues to increase, software solutions like VelocityDRIVE SP are necessary for customers to configure and manage their networking systems. The LAN969x switch family joins Microchip’s portfolio of automotive Ethernet solutions, which includes 10 Mbps to 1000 Mbps PHY transceivers, controllers, switches and endpoints. For more information about Microchip’s automotive Ethernet solutions, visit the web page.

Development Tools

The LAN969x devices are supported by the LAN9692 VelocityDRIVE Evaluation Board and VelocityDRIVE Configuration Tool (CT).

Pricing and Availability

The LAN9691, LAN9692 and LAN9693 are available in production quantities. The VelocityDRIVE Software Platform is available to download. For additional information and to purchase, contact a Microchip sales representative, authorized worldwide distributor or visit Microchip’s Purchasing and Client Services website, www.microchipdirect.com.

Resources

High-res images available through Flickr or editorial contact (feel free to publish):

• Application image: flickr.com/photos/microchiptechnology/54036155085/sizes/l

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Nuvoton Technology Corporation, a leading microcontroller platform provider with years of extensive industry experience, is set to host its first-ever microcontroller/microprocessor roadshow in Southeast Asia. Building on its extensive experience and recent expansion into emerging markets, Nuvoton has strengthened regional support and optimized its global supply chain. The roadshow will take place in Singapore on November 6 and in Hanoi, Vietnam, on November 8, where we will showcase Nuvoton’s latest MCU/MPU platforms, solutions, and ecosystems to local experts and industry professionals.

Nuvoton will present comprehensive topics covering the NuMicro MCU platforms with 8051, Arm Cortex-M23/ M4/ A35, and Arm9 cores. Key products, including the MG51, ML51, M253, M460, M480, and MA35 series, are designed for various IoT, smart homes, industrial control, and HMI applications.

Additionally, Nuvoton will introduce audio chips, audio amplifiers, HMI solutions, battery management systems, and smart industrial IoT. To streamline development, the NuDeveloper ecosystem offers evaluation boards, debuggers, and software tools, supporting developers from prototyping to production, ensuring a smooth and efficient design process.

Attendees can expect live demonstrations of HMI solutions, lighting control, touch key solutions, and advanced audio designs.

This event aims to strengthen ties with Southeast Asia’s tech community and explore future collaboration opportunities. We welcome industry professionals to join us and participate in these insightful discussions and demonstrations.

For more details about the Nuvoton Technology 2024 Microcontroller Innovations Roadshow, please visit: Nuvoton Technology 2024 – Microcontroller Innovations Roadshow (digitimes.com.tw)

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New 871 Series Fuse provides 150A and 200A ratings in compact SMD form factor,
simplifying designs and saving PCB space

Littelfuse, Inc., an industrial technology manufacturing company empowering a sustainable, connected, and safer world, today announced the launch of the 871 Series Ultra-High Amperage SMD Fuse. This innovative new series supplements the 881 Series by offering 150A and 200A fuse ratings, a significant upgrade from the 881 Series’ 125A maximum rating. The 871 Fuse Series provides a single-fuse, surface-mounted solution for electronics designers, eliminating the need for parallel fusing configurations.

The 871 Series High-Current SMD Fuse is the first and only small-sized SMD fuse with ultra-high ratings of 150A and 200A, previously only available in much larger through-hole fuses. This advancement addresses the challenges of higher power requirements and limited fuse amperage ratings, offering a streamlined solution for modern electronic designs.

Product Features and Benefits:

• High Amperage Ratings: Available in 150A and 200A, meeting higher power requirements with a single fuse.
• Space-Saving Design: Provides a smaller-sized fuse solution, saving PCB space compared to larger through-hole legacy fuses.
• Simplified Design: Eliminates the need for parallel fusing, reducing the number of components and simplifying the bill of materials (BOM).
• Optimized Efficiency: Enables electronics engineers to optimize their designs for smaller, more space-efficient products.

“The 871 Series Fuse helps design teams simplify their processing and bill of materials by eliminating the need for two or more fuse components, reducing it down to just one fuse,” said Daniel Wang, Senior Director of Product Management. “Additionally, these SMD fuses save board space, allowing electronics engineers to optimize their designs further to be smaller and more space efficient.”

The 871 Series Fuse is ideally suited for high-power applications in various markets, including:

• Data Centers: Providing reliable protection for critical infrastructure.
• Network Infrastructure: Ensuring robust performance in demanding environments.

• Servers/Racks: Enhancing power management and efficiency in server and rack systems.

By offering a high amperage rating in a compact form factor, the 871 Series Fuse enables designers to meet their power requirements while reducing the number of components needed and the overall size of their end-product. This makes it an ideal solution for electronics engineers looking to simplify their designs and save valuable PCB space.

The post Littelfuse Launches Industry-First Ultra-High Amperage SMD Fuse Series appeared first on ELE Times.

Its using ECC83/12AX7A/5751WA Tubes which require 6.3V at 0.6A for heating. This Op-Amp requires +300V and -300V on its rails and has an output voltage swing of +50V to -50V. Its input offset voltage is 2.4V for it to detect a difference. Here its wired up as an inverting amplifier with a gain of 10. Both probe leads are x10 probes, top channel is the output (5V/div -> 50V/div) and the bottom is the input (0.5V/div -> 5V/div) So I get a gain of 10 and it inverts, just as expected. submitted by /u/janno288 [link] [comments]

Specialty semiconductor and performance materials producer 5N Plus Inc of Montreal, Québec, Canada says that solar cells produced by its subsidiary AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbH of Heilbronn, Germany are enabling the Europa Clipper, NASA’s largest spacecraft ever built for planetary exploration. The spacecraft took flight on 14 October with the mission to determine whether Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has the potential to support life...

Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide (SiC) materials and power semiconductor devices — says that Thomas Seifert and Woody Young have been nominated to its board of directors. Their nominations will be considered at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, scheduled for 5 December...

In one of last month’s posts, I mentioned that, in addition to recently investing in a modern DJI drone (a pair of them, actually, whose identity and details I’ll save for another day), I’d also decided to hold onto (therefore batteries-resuscitate) the first-generation Mavic Air I’d bought back in mid-October 2021:

Why? Here’s a reiteration of what I recently noted:

The Mavic Air was still holding its own feature set-wise, more than six years after its January 2018 introduction. It supports, for example, both front and rear collision avoidance and accompanying auto-navigation to dodge objects in its flight path (APAS, the Advanced Pilot Assistance System), along with a downward-directed camera to aid in takeoff and landing. And its 3-axis gimbal-augmented front camera shoots video at up to 4K resolution at a 30 fps frame rate with a 100 Mbps bitrate.

But there was also this…

Other recent government regulatory action, details of which I’ll save for a dedicated writeup another day, has compelled me to purchase additional hardware in order continue legally flying the Mavic Air in a variety of locations, along with needing to officially register it with the FAA per its >249g weight.

That “another day” is today. But before diving into the Mavic Air-specific details, I’ll start out with a requirement that’s drone-generic. Effective June 2021, the FAA requires recreational drone pilots to pass no-cost online certification called The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST). The FAA has a list of partners that administer the test on its behalf; I took mine on the Boy Scouts of America website (Cub Scout and Webelos alumnus here, folks). It’s quite easy, not to mention informative, and you can take it an unlimited number of times until you pass. Upon successful completion, the partner site generates a certificate for you to print out (I also saved it as a PDF for future reference) and carry with you as proof wherever and whenever you fly.

What constitutes a “recreational” drone flyer? Glad you asked. The FAA website has a descriptive page on that topic, too, which first and foremost notes that you need to “fly only for recreational purposes (personal enjoyment).” However, there’s also this qualifier, for example:

Many people assume that a recreational flight simply means not flying for a business or being compensated. But, that’s not always the case. Compensation, or the lack of it, is not what determines if a flight was recreational or not. Before you fly your drone, you need to know which regulations apply to your flight.

 Non-recreational drone flying include things like taking photos to help sell a property or service, roof inspections, or taking pictures of a high school football game for the school’s website. Goodwill can also be considered non-recreational. This would include things like volunteering to use your drone to survey coastlines on behalf of a non-profit organization.

If at all in doubt as to how your flying intentions might be perceived by others (specifically the authorities), I encourage you to read the FAA documentation in detail. As it also notes, “if you’re not sure which rules apply to your flight, fly under Part 107.” Part 107 is the Small UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) Rule, where “small” refers to aircraft weighing less than 55 lbs. Commercial operator certification involves taking a more involved test, this time at a FAA-approved center at least the first time (renewals can be done online), which costs approximately $175. If you don’t pass, you need to wait at least two weeks before you try (and pay, unless you’ve also paid upfront for prep training at a center that will compensate) again.

Regardless of whether you fly recreationally or not, you also often (but not always) need to register your drone(s), at $5 per three-year timespan (per-drone for commercial operators, or as a lump sum for your entire drone fleet for recreational flyers). You’ll receive an ID number which you then need to print out and attach to the drone(s) in a visible location. And, as of mid-September 2023, each drone also needs to (again, often but not always) support broadcast of that ID for remote reception purposes, which is where the “electronic augmentation” phrase in this post’s title comes in.

DJI, for example, firmware-retrofitted many (but not all) of its existing drones with Remote ID broadcast capabilities, along with including Remote ID support in all (relevant; hold that thought for next time) new drones. Unfortunately, my first-generation Mavic Air wasn’t capable of a Remote ID retrofit, or maybe DJI just didn’t bother with it. Instead, I needed to add support myself via a distinct attached (often via an included Velcro strip) Remote ID broadcast module.

When I first started researching Remote ID modules last year, in the lead-up to the mid-September 2023 rule going into effect, they cost well over a hundred dollars, especially for US-sourced offerings. The FAA subsequently delayed enforcement of the rule until mid-March of this year, and module prices have also dropped to below $50, notably courtesy of China-based suppliers’ market entry (trust me, the irony here is not lost on me). I’ve picked up two, from different companies, both with extended warranties (since embedded batteries don’t last forever, don’cha know) and functionally redundant (so I’m not grounded while I wait, if I need to send one in for repair or replacement). They’re from Holy Stone (on sale for $34.99 from Amazon at time of purchase), with dimensions of 1.54” x 1.18” x 0.51”/3.9 x 3 x 1.3 cm and a weight of 13.9 grams (plus Velcro, 14.2 grams total):

And Ruko (promotion-priced at $33.99 from Amazon at time of purchase), with dimensions of 1.3” x 1.1” x 0.5” and a standalone weight of 13.5g (0.48 oz):

I also got a second Holy Stone module, since this seems to be the more popular of the two options) for future-teardown purposes. And a third common, albeit less svelte, candidate comes from Potensic ($33.99 from Amazon as I write this), 3.7 cm x 3.1 cm x 1.6 cm in size and weighing “less than 20g (0.7 oz)”:

Setup video here.

Size and weight (since the module is additive to the drone itself), battery life, recharge time, broadcast distance and GPS accuracy are all factors (among others) that bear consideration when selecting among options. Also, you may have already noticed that all three suppliers mentioned are also drone manufacturers. DJI conversely doesn’t sell standalone Remote ID modules for retrofits of existing drones, but pragmatically, given its market segment share dominance, it’d probably prefer that you just buy a brand-new successor drone instead.

In closing, I’ll elaborate on my earlier repeated “often but not always” qualifier. As alluded to in my earlier Mavic Air battery teardown, drones weighing less than 250 grams (including battery, Remote ID module, etc.) are excluded from the FAA’s registration and Remote ID requirements. In an upcoming writeup, you’ll see how this “loophole” factored into my next-gen drone selection process. And regardless of the drone’s weight, you don’t need to register or Remote ID-enable it if it’s only being flown within the boundaries of a FAA-Recognized Identification Area (FRIA), several of which are within reasonable driving distance of my residence. Conversely, regardless of your registration and Remote ID status, keep in mind that specific municipalities may restrict your ability to fly in some or all locations.

By the way, the FAA DroneZone home page is a good starting point for resources on these and other drone-related topics. And on that note, if it wasn’t already obvious, the information I’ve obtained and am sharing here is United States-specific; other countries, for example, might not offer the sub-250 gram no-registration and/or recreational-flyer exemptions. If you’re not in the US, I strongly encourage you to do your own research based on whatever country you’re currently located in. And with that, I’ll sign off for now. Stay tuned for future posts in this series, and until then, sound off with your thoughts in the comments!

—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Vision Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the company’s online newsletter.

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