Microelectronics world news

Servotech Power Systems Ltd., India’s largest EV Charger manufacturer, has secured a substantial contract for installing 12 EV charging stations from the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT), Department of Power, Govt. of Kerala. Under this contract Servotech has to build 12 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations with 30KW Fast DC EV Chargers at the various locations of Kerala Motor Vehicle Department. This contract involves Servotech supplying, commissioning, and construction of EV charging stations.

This pilot project whose execution has already begun will be executed in phases with the 1st phase involving the installation of 4 EV charging stations and the 2nd phase will involve the installation of 8 EV charging stations. This initiative will prove to be beneficial in facilitating Kerala’s shift towards sustainable transportation solutions by substantially improving the state’s EV charging network. As the demand for EV mobility grows, there is a corresponding requirement for convenient and accessible charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. These charging stations will enable EV owners to recharge their vehicles conveniently while on the move.

Sarika Bhatia, Director of Servotech Power Systems Ltd. said, “We are elated to be working on this pilot project for ANERT. As a leading EV Charging player who is very actively working towards making India transition towards green transportation, this step brings us closer to achieving our collective dream of seeing India as an EV-powered nation. We are creating our green footprints, starting from Kerala, we plan to increase our footprints to other states as well. Our efficient hardware and software solutions will ensure dependable EV charging stations, catering to the growing demand for sustainable travel options. This initiative will prove to be essential for facilitating infrastructure development to support the expanding EV customer base and enable its strategic expansion in EV charging infrastructure at places with high charging demand.

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Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Electric Corp says that on 1 October it will begin shipping samples of its new 200Gbps PIN-photodiode (PD) chip for use in next-generation optical transceivers to support 800Gbps and 1.6Tbps fiber communication...

Riber S.A. of Bezons, France — which makes molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) systems as well as evaporation sources — says that it has sold an MBE 412 cluster platform for delivered in 2025) to a leading US-based manufacturer of infrared imaging sensor materials for ground- and space-based astronomy...

The prices of Lithium, the primary workhorse of energy storage solutions today, have dropped by over 60% in the past 18 months. Among many other reasons, this is attributed to a drop in EV demand globally as governments across US and EU started moderating EV related subsidies. There was also an aggressive ramp-up of capacity in China during the Covid period buoyed by the strong EV uptick which has now resulted in a supply glut. To give you a sense of the impact of this glut, we now see that LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries are already commercially available at sub-$100 per kWh prices. This was forecast to happen only beyond 2026. At these prices, it is possible for EVs to have capital cost parity with conventional fossil fuel based vehicles which is supposed to be a massive inflection point. 

In the world of stationary energy storage, where Lead Acid batteries have ruled the roost for decades, Lithium based batteries become highly attractive substitutes with a significantly longer life and superior performance. Common sense dictates that this is about the worst time to invest in a new chemistry and that we should rather make the most of the ongoing supply glut to drive the agenda of accelerating decarbonization in India. We would however miss the forest for the trees in doing only that and nothing more.

It is a well known fact that the majority of the world’s active materials, the most critical components within a Lithium cell, are processed in China. Chinese players are also deeply backward integrated with interests in Lithium, Nickel and Cobalt mines across the world. So, financially speaking, we are merely converting our petro-dollars to lithium-dollars and directing them towards China instead of the countries that supply oil and gas. There are active investments in cell manufacturing in India propelled by the recent ACC-PLI incentives with over 50 GWh of capacity planned over the next few years. However, as long as the active material processing and the backward linkages rest with China or other countries the result will be broadly similar. This may also eliminate the possibility of using trade barriers even if local cell manufacturing capacity is fully established. India will need to do a similar backward integration and set up massive capacities for active materials processing which may largely end up becoming a catch-up game with low odds of success.

Secondly, Lithium, just like any other metal is a commodity which will go through its own commodity cycles. It is a risky gamble to leave a critical agenda like energy transition to the vagaries of commodity prices. We have had over five decades and continuing government intervention to insulate the economy from a similar commodity cycle impact of oil and gas and it has been anything but a smooth ride.

Lastly, the electrification of the economy will only be as green as the power sector that generates the electricity. While there is a lot of focus today on EVs, the other, potentially bigger, problem to solve is the greening of the generation through renewables which requires a large amount of energy storage capacity to mitigate the intermittency. For instance, NITI Aayog has estimated annual demand of around 300 GWh of storage capacity by 2030 of which about 60% would come from grid level storage alone. There is no other category, on a standalone basis, that even comes close to this requirement. This is pertinent because it should be a critical decision parameter as we think of the specific chemistries where we choose to invest the country’s limited resources.

So, in summary, we would do well to proactively invest in a chemistry or set of chemistries that are reasonably insulated from commodity cycles, could offer very attractive unit economics at scale, are well suited for grid scale storage and do not require aggressive critical mineral investments. There are many promising candidates on the horizon and Sodium-ion is one such candidate.

Sodium-ion has almost as long a history of development as Lithium-ion but did not take off earlier as Lithium-ion batteries were more compact allowing them to be used in consumer electronics resulting in their widespread adoption. Sodium-ion has however come a long way from the lab over the past few years. BYD, one of the world’s largest cell and EV manufacturers, broke ground on a 30 GWh Sodium-ion plant in January 2024 validating its role in the future of energy transition. A few weeks ago, in June 2024, the world’s largest Sodium-ion grid scale storage of 100 MW / 200 MWh was commissioned in Qianjiang, located in the Hubei province in China. 

The reason for the sudden interest in Sodium-ion and why it also makes a lot of sense for India is that it meets many of the criteria we identified earlier. For starters, Sodium is abundant and cheaply available in India which eliminates the need for backward integration.  It also enables domestic supply chains and reduces the overall cost of cells. As an added advantage, Sodium cells use low cost Aluminum collectors (instead of the more expensive Copper collectors required in Lithium) and the anode requires hard carbon (instead of the more expensive Graphite required in Lithium and also controlled largely by China). A key drawback of the Sodium-ion chemistry is that it has a lower energy density compared to Lithium. However for many applications like grid scale storage and 3W mobility, this is not a deterrent. Lastly, the process of Sodium-ion cell manufacturing is almost identical to Lithium-ion making it possible to use commercially available machinery and equipment to scale up manufacturing.

The need for India to invest in establishing local manufacturing capacities is inevitable. However, leaving that decision completely to the market forces through a chemistry-agnostic PLI scheme has the peril of driving a great short term optimization and missing the opportunity to build a truly self-reliant and thriving energy storage industry. The Chinese government took the imperative of driving investments specifically in LFP resulting in the dominance of that chemistry today. India would do well to build a point of view on the specific chemistry it would like to bet on and take control of the narrative.

Author: Venkat Rajaraman, Founder and CEO at Cygni Energy

The post Is it time to think beyond Lithium? appeared first on ELE Times.

The new transceivers aim to extend cable lengths while maintaining compliance with industry standards.

Startups are using and supporting AI in a myriad of ways.

Back in late April, EDN published my teardown of an entry-level webcam, Avaya’s Huddle HC010, at the time selling for $14.99 (but having been priced a few years earlier, in the midst of pandemic-induced home office equipment shortages, for nearly 10x that amount). In the intro to that piece, I briefly mentioned other, higher-end webcams, one of which was BenQ’s ideaCam S1 Plus and Pro series.

Here’s a stock photo of the $169.99 “Plus” variant, whose internals we’ll be examining today:

For $30 more, the “Pro” version comes with a separate wireless remote control (and USB receiver) for the company’s computer-based EnSpire (which BenQ also refers to in some places as Enspire) software suite:

Some upfront qualifiers:

• Unlike some of its comparably-priced peers sold by other companies, the ideaCam S1 series does not support interpolated-pixel digital zoom capabilities, including the ability to “follow” the user’s face as he or she moves around in the frame and thereby present a consistently-centered image to viewers (which Apple, for example, calls “Center Stage”).
• Instead, Benq includes a magnetically attached 15x multiplier “zoom” supplemental lens which the company claims is also “macro”-capable. Not yet sold (at least in the U.S.), as far as I know, but inferred in the user manual is an ideaCam S1 standard version, which dispenses with both the “Plus” supplemental lens and the “Pro” remote control.
• The ideaCam S1 series’ market uniqueness derives from a flexible magnet-enhanced mount, which enables you to attach (and even lock down) the webcam in a “normal” on-display orientation, completely detach it to show something in the vicinity of the computer to your audience, and in-between rotate the webcam near-90° down at the desktop in front of you. In the latter case, the aforementioned EnSpire software driver auto-rotates and keystone-corrects the captured image as well as tweaking autofocus so that what’s seen by others looks as close as possible to what’s actually in front of you.

• Benq calls the ideaCam S1 a “4K” camera, which is close but not quite right. “4K”, at least from a display standpoint, references a 3840×2160 (8,294,400 total) pixel image. The ideaCam S1 captures still images with 3264×2448 (7,990,272 total) pixels. And its video resolution options, in both cases limited to 30 (not 60) fps frame rates, are 3264×1836 (5.992,704 total) pixels in 16:9 ratio mode and 3264×2448 pixels (the same as with still images) in 4:3 ratio mode.
• The webcams are based on an 8 Mpixel Sony CMOS image sensor. It admittedly took me a few tries to realize what the “COMS” reference on Benq’s web page meant Low light performance is surprisingly subpar, per multiple reviewers’ comments, even when the integrated ring light is in use. Here’s Benq’s feedback when I inquired about this quirk: “ideaCam is a webcam designed primarily for capturing objects, so it works best in well-lit environments.”
• I get why Benq made the ideaCam S1 series natively USB-A-interfaced, given the sizeable installed base of computers that offer at least one USB-A port. That said, I’m admittedly surprised that Benq didn’t also include an inexpensive USB-A to USB-C adapter in the box for use with the increasingly common laptop PCs and the like that are USB-C-only.

Upfront thoughts now concluded, let’s get to the tearing down, beginning with the obligatory outer-box shots (after I removed the shiny, reflection-inducing shrink-wrap, that is):

Flip open the box:

And underneath the top flap you’ll first find a plethora of paper (you can alternatively find the quick-start guide in digital form here, along with the digital-only full user manual):

Underneath it (and a thin sheet of protective black foam):

are, clockwise beginning from left, the main webcam assembly, the privacy cover, the “macro zoom” supplemental lens, and the mounting bracket, all cushioned by more foam:

In front of the foam is the bulk of the webcam’s permanently connected USB cable, enclosed within a white cardboard sleeve:

Here are the various constituent pieces out of the box:

Two views of the mounting bracket, which also integrates a ¼” screw hole for a not-included optional tripod or other stand:

Now for the webcam itself. Front view first; the ring light shines through the frosted white circumference when on. Also note the hole for the single microphone input in the lower right corner of the “lens” (curiously, this design doesn’t seem to leverage a traditional multi-microphone array for ambient noise cancellation purposes, instead per product documentation relying on “AI processing”) and the barely visible activity LED “hole” below the lens:

Here’s what it looks like with the supplemental lens installed (note to potential customers; there’s a near-invisible clear piece of protective plastic at the rear of the supplemental lens that, unless first removed, will result in poor image results when the supplemental lens is in use):

And here’s the privacy cover installed:

The magnet that holds both it and the supplemental lens in place is located within the common primary lens assembly to which they both adhere:

The two-switch assembly at the top toggles the ring light on and off and, in conjunction with the EnSpire software suite, freezes the captured image:

At bottom is the magnet-augmented rectangular hole into which you insert the mounting bracket (also note the permanently attached USB cable coming out of the webcam):

And last but not least (or maybe least after all…it’s pretty bland) is the BenQ-branded backside:

Time to dive inside. Next to the USB cable entry point is a tiny Philips screw whose removal would seemingly be a logical starting point:

That’s what I’m talking about:

Next, let’s get the multi-wire harness for the USB cable outta there:

Two more screws to go (the first one had already been removed in conjunction with disconnecting what I assume is the USB cable’s ground strap):

And…nothing’s budging yet. Let’s try those three additional screws visible deeper inside:

Getting them out was a bit dodgy because every time I unscrewed one, it immediately went airborne and adhered itself to the magnet at the bottom bracket hole…but I managed…

Hmmm…still no meaningful disassembly progress, however. Time to turn the webcam around and turn our attention to the front assembly:

That’s more like it!

Even with the screws removed, it had still been tenuously held in place by the four-pin connector that mated the PCB to the two-switch topside assembly:

Front and back standalone views of the chassis now absent the front assembly:

And now what you really care about; the first unobstructed view of the system PCB’s backside:

As you may have already inferred, there’s a gyro IC (likely MEMS-based) in the webcam that determines (and communicates to system software) whether it’s in its “normal” or downward orientation. Fortunately, BenQ provides an exploded-view video that shows where it’s located:

Specifically, assuming the video is accurate in pinpointing what it calls the “Webcam flip sensor,” it’s the tiny five-lead chip labeled U12 on the PCB and marked FT8DSN, below and to the left of the left-side PCB hole. To the right of the flip sensor and toward the center of the PCB is a larger IC whose identity I unfortunately can’t discern. It’s marked as follows:

IG1600
2109AAD
TP1X841
0570011

Ideas, anyone? And while we’re at it, does anyone know the identity of the tall rectangular eight-lead chip at far right, above the USB wiring harness connector, and marked as follows (accompanied by a yellow paint “dot” in its lower left corner)?

GD
N1C0
UF8096

Flip the front assembly over:

and with the retaining screws now removed, the cover portion lifts right off:

The clear plastic middle region is purely protective, as far as I can tell, with no meaningful optical properties of its own that I can ascertain:

Note the holes for the microphone input, in the black piece’s lower left region, and the activity LED, below and to its right (and at the black piece’s bottom). And around the perimeter is the frosted white opaque plastic thru which the ring light LEDs diffuse-shine when illuminated.

Speaking of which:

Items of particular note include the lens assembly at center (with the aforementioned 8 Mpixel Sony CMOS image sensor unseen behind it), the system processor to its left (a Sunplus Innovation Technology SPCA2680A, not found on the manufacturer’s website, although note the presumably related SPCA2688), and the surprisingly large MEMS mic to the lens’s lower right. Along with, of course, the activity LED below the lens and the six-LED ring around the perimeter.

I’m going to stop at this point, in the hopes that if I’m careful with my reassembly, I might actually be able to return the ideaCam S1 Plus to its original fully functional condition…

Success! It still works! Over to you for 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.

 Related Content

• Disclosing the results of a webcam closeup
• The slammed webcam: An impromptu teardown erases my frown
• Prosumer and professional cameras: High quality video, but a connectivity vulnerability
• Digital camera design, part 2: Motion considerations for frame rate, exposure time, and shuttering

The post Disassembling a premium webcam appeared first on EDN.

Microchip’s LAN887x PHYs offer extended reach up to 40m and are designed to be compliant with industry standards

The automotive and industrial markets are widely adopting Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) solutions for network connectivity because of the system level benefits of reducing cost, weight and cable complexity. SPE, with its proven performance and reliability in automotive applications, is now also being deployed in other segments like avionics, robotics and automation. For exceptional flexibility and interoperability, Microchip Technology today announces it has expanded its SPE solutions with its family of LAN887x Ethernet PHY transceivers supporting 100 Mbps to 1000 Mbps using 1000BASE-T1 network speeds and cable lengths up to 40m for extended reach.

For interoperability across industries, Microchip’s LAN887x PHYs are designed to be fully compliant with IEEE 802.3bp for the 1000BASE-T1 specification and IEEE 802bw-2015 for the 100BASE-T1 specification. Microchip has collaborated with the University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) to create the development test platform for 1000BASE-T1 conformance. For many automotive and industrial applications that operate in harsh environments and need to withstand extreme temperatures, these devices are also designed to be ISO 26262 functional safety ready with ASIL B classification.

These devices provide advanced diagnostics including cable fault detection, signal quality indicator, link down and errors, built in self-test, and temperature and voltage monitoring for increased reliability. To provide flexibility with varying connectivity requirements across end applications, the LAN887x PHYs support Type A operation with cable lengths up to 15m and Type B operation to support extended cable lengths of up to 40m. Both operation types include four inline connectors.

The LAN887x is a low-power solution with EtherGREEN technology for increased energy efficiency. The OPEN Alliance TC10 Sleep and Wakeup feature provides additional power savings with a maximum of 16 µA standby power consumption, which extends operating time in battery applications. An optional integrated linear regulator can optimize BOM costs by reducing the number of components in the design.

“Our comprehensive solutions, which include PHY transceivers, bridge devices, switches and development boards, make it easier for designers to implement Single Pair Ethernet technology into their designs,” said Charles Forni, vice president of Microchip’s USB and networking business unit. “The low-power sleep, extended cable reach features and functional safety support make our LAN887x devices versatile and robust solutions to support our customers’ expanding networking needs.”

The LAN887x PHYs are compatible with Microchip’s broad portfolio of microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors (MPUs), System-on-Chip (SoC) devices and Ethernet switches. Microchip offers a growing range of SPE solutions including PHYs, controllers and switches to support data transmission speeds from 10 Mbps to 1000 Mbps. To learn more about Microchip’s SPE solutions, visit the website.

Development Tools

The LAN887x family of PHY transceivers is supported by comprehensive hardware evaluation platforms; Type A and Type B media converter kits, SFP (SGMII), USB and PCIe plug-in boards and Linux software drivers.

Pricing and Availability

The LAN8870, LAN8871 and LAN8872 are now available in production quantities. 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.

The post Expanded Single Pair Ethernet Portfolio with 100BASE-T1 and 1000BASE-T1 PHY Transceivers for Network Interoperability appeared first on ELE Times.

Ideal for medical, industrial, transportation, and high-end consumer applications

Littelfuse, Inc., an industrial technology manufacturing company empowering a sustainable, connected, and safer world, announced a product update on the C&K Switches KSC2 Sealed Tactile Switch product line. This surface-mounted, waterproof tactile switch series now incorporates the Electrical Height enhancement.

The KSC2 series of tactile switches for surface-mount technology (SMT) is an IP67-rated, 3.5 mm high momentary-action tactile switch featuring a soft actuator. The switches are available in several models and provide numerous electrical lifespans that can withstand various operating forces.

The latest KSC2 tactile switch, with its superior durability and extended lifespan, outperforms other switches in the market, reducing the need for frequent replacements. Its consistent performance over time instills confidence in users, ensuring reliable functionality. The KSC2 tactile switch provides clear tactile feedback, making it easier for users to know when an input has been registered. Using the redesigned KSC2 series results in a more reliable, user-friendly, and secure product, ultimately benefiting end users.

The KSC2 series design gives users a positive, adaptable tactile feeling, ideally suited for a wide range of markets and applications, including:

• Medical: Surgical tools, healthcare wearables
• Transportation: Door handles, window lifters, steering wheel columns
• High-end consumer: Power tools, lawnmowers, snow blowers
• Industrial: Elevators, automation, machinery

The KSC2 Tactile Switches offer these key features and benefits:

• Electrical Height of Sealed Tactile Switch: Guarantees precise and reliable electrical connections by precisely defining the distance between the actuation point and bottom contact.
• IP67 Rating: Ensures durability and reliability in harsh environments by providing resistance to dust and water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.
• Compatibility with Lead-Free Reflow Soldering: Enables efficient, reliable, environmentally friendly manufacturing by withstanding high temperatures and thermal cycling in lead-free, RoHS-compliant soldering processes.
• Soft Actuator (3.5 mm high): Provides comfortable, improved user experience and precise operation via a soft actuator that offers gentle touch and consistent activation.

How it works: Electrical Height enhancement enables better precision on the electrical switching position compared to the printed circuit board (PCB) reference, which is necessary for stack-up tolerances. This new feature makes the KSC2 switch easier to integrate than other products on the market with Electrical Travel. Generally, designers need to determine the switching point position from the PCB and apply the formula: Product Height ±0.2 mm minus Electrical travel ±0.2 mm, giving a total tolerance of ±0.4 mm as a minimum. The target of dimensioning with the Electrical Height value is to avoid cumulated tolerances and to propose a functional value with tighter tolerance. Electrical Height is stable, and a standard tolerance at only ±0.15 mm or ±0.2 mm is recommended.

“This newly specified feature (Electrical Height) demonstrates the decades of experiences the Littelfuse engineers have when it comes to the integration of our products into the final application, as well as the level of control we have on our manufacturing capabilities,” said Jeremy Hebras, Vice President Digital & Technical Developments, Electronics Business Unit at Littelfuse. “By committing to the switch electrical height on this popular series, together with its tight tolerance, we are helping our customers to optimally design their products, obtain the most qualitative and consistent haptic and performance results, and ultimately enhance their product’s quality.”

The same Electrical Height enhancement is planned for additional tactile switch series in the Littelfuse/C&K Switches portfolio.

The post Littelfuse Enhances KSC2 Tactile Switch Series to Empower Designers with Precise Electrical Height appeared first on ELE Times.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) — an economic development partnership agency of the federal government and 13 state governments including Pennsylvania — has awarded $600,000 to Penn State University’s Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance (SCIA, launched in early April) to develop a series of educational courses, workshops and paid academic and industrial internships focused on workforce development in Pennsylvania for the growing semiconductor industry...

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