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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

The post New VelocityDRIVE Software Platform and Automotive-Qualified Multi-Gigabit Ethernet Switches for Software-Defined Vehicles appeared first on ELE Times.

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.

 Related Content

• Diagnosing and resuscitating a set of DJI drone batteries
• Oh little drone, how you have grown…
• SLA batteries: More system form factors and lithium-based successors
• Teardown: DJI Spark drone

The post Drone regulation and electronic augmentation appeared first on EDN.

For its fiscal first-quarter 2025 (to 30 August 2024), semiconductor production test and reliability qualification equipment supplier Aehr Test Systems of Fremont, CA, USA has reported revenue of $13.1m, down 21% on $16.6m last quarter and 36% on $20.6m a year ago...

Photo 1 (from top to bottom) 1. Synchronometer Ch7-15 (Ч7-15). Used as reference clock source for all other devices that have option of external reference clock, as normal clock and other stuff as needed. 2. Programmable frequency synthesizer G4-164 (Г4-164) 0.1 - 640 MHz; AM, FM, PCM; high stability (1 * 10-11 Allan deviation). 3. Frequency counter Ch3-54 (Ч3-54) with time intervals module installed Photo 2 (from top to bottom) 1. Programmable frequency counter RCh3-07-0001 (РЧ3-07-0001). Probably the rarest and most unique device in my collection. See my other post for more photos and description. 2. Low frequency high power generator G3-123 (Г3-123) 1 Hz - 300 kHz Max output power of 90 W. Photo 3 (left to right, top to bottom) 1. RMS voltmeter V3-56 (В3-56) Up to 15 MHz. 2. Tube portable multimeter V7-15 (В7-15). The oldest device in my collection. Has the unique ability to measure voltages up to 100 V in GHz range. 3. Wide band generator G4-154 (Г4-154) 7 Hz - 10 MHz; Max output power 10 W. Photo 4 (top to bottom) 1. Portable oscilloscope S1-73 (С1-73) 10 MHz, has detachable 24 V power supply, light and compact (for analog scope). 2. RLC meter E7-15 (Е7-15). Light and compact, has 4 wire measurement scheme and high range. Photo 5 (top to bottom) 1. Power supply B5-31 (Б5-31). Semi linear, 0 - 100 V, 0.1 A 2. Power supply TES-88-2.5 (ТЕС-88-2.5). Linear. 0 - 35 V, 2.5 A 3. Power supply B5-50 (Б5-50). PWM, 0 - 300 V, 0.3 A Photo 6 1. Lab clock Ch7-3 (Ч7-3). Mainly used as counter or stopwatch. submitted by /u/AltCtrlGraphene [link] [comments]

Technology drives the development of new advancements in the automotive and electric vehicle industry. As the world is today witnessing and will witness the development of new technologies in the near-future, it shall lead to the improvement and further development in the product and design of the automotive and electric vehicle industry.

The following are few future technologies that shall lead the development of automotive and electric vehicle’s technologies:

First, OTA (over the air) charging of electric vehicles. The OTA (over the air) technology enables charging of an electric vehicle’s battery without any need for physical contact while recharging. However, this OTA technology is not available at a mass-scale today.

Hence, when the OTA (over the air) technology would be available on a mass-scale, it would lead to the development of many recharge stations in India. This would certainly increase the number of electric vehicles being used in our country. Besides, it would ease their mobility in India.

Second, solid state batteries. The lithium-ion batteries have led to a revolution in the electric vehicle segment. Traversing on the same trajectory, the future is expected to be even more revolutionary. It is so because more efficient solid-state batteries would be available on a large scale.

A solid-state battery is an electrical battery that uses solid electrolyte.

The benefit of using solid-state batteries are as follows:

First, it provides a much higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries.

Second, it provides higher vehicle range and a significant decrease in the time required to recharge the battery.

Third, grid of driverless cars. The future electric cars would be driven driverless. They would ply in a grid of driverless cars. They would be controlled with real time access to data pertaining to traffic, lane, GPS, and other parameters. The data pertaining to such parameters would be available on a real-time basis. Using these parameters, the automobile industry would be further developed.

These driverless cars have radar sensors, machine learning systems, and complex algorithms to safely operate and navigate the vehicle.

Fourth, augmented reality. Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that blends digital information with the real world.

The cars that possess augmented reality (AR) technology, necessarily use a computer within the dashboard. This gives the driver real time information about a vehicle’s surroundings. For instance, speed, direction of movement, and video footage of the area adjacent to the vehicle.

Examples of car manufacturers that use augmented reality- BMW, Jaguar and Mazda use augmented reality in their models.

By 2025, the global automotive augmented reality and virtual reality is estimated to reach about $673 billion.

Fifth, heads-up display windshields. The heads-up display windshield technology projects images from a vehicle’s dashboard on the vehicle’s windshield. This helps the driver focus better on driving and be aware of all data from the dashboard by their projection on the windshield.

Sixth, connected cars. A connected car is a car that can communicate with the outside system. This enables it to share internet access and data with other devices, both inside and outside of the car.

For instance, use of GPS and 5G technology by a car.

Seventh, regenerative braking. This technology enables a car to store kinetic energy captured during deceleration and braking as electric energy within the battery of the car. It is later used to power the electric motor.

Eighth, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS). Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) means integration of all the modes of transport over a single interface. This provides end-to-end transportation solutions to users. As cities will become more modern in the future, MaaS is the only solution to the traffic woes.

Ninth, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) makes the automobile capable of autonomous emergency braking, driver monitoring systems, lane departure warning, etc. This technology makes an automobile safer and reliant.

Tenth, 3D printing. 3D printing enables automotive parts manufacturers to produce complex parts with ease and much faster pace. Besides, the produced parts are light-weight. This makes the manufacturing process more efficient and economical than the traditional manufacturing process. Due to this, the spare parts would be available at a much cheaper rate and at a mass-scale.

Eleventh, smart grid solutions. A smart grid integrates information and communication technology with the electrical technology. It supplies power to consumer appliances through a smart network.

The following are a few benefits of smart grid solutions:

First, quicker restoration of electricity after power lapse.

Second, more efficient transmission of electricity.

Third, lowering of the cost of operation. Hence, the cost of power for consumers would be low. This provides an economic edge.

Fourth, reduction in peak demand.

Five, increase in the security of the electrical power generation system.

Twelfth, composite materials. Any substance that has been engineered by combining two or more distinct materials so that the engineered material has complementary properties. This means it has enhanced and unique characteristics. Hence, it is referred to as a composite material.

Few common examples of the composite materials are as follows:

First, carbon fibre-reinforced plastics,

Second, fiberglass-reinforced composites, and

Third, Kevlar-reinforced materials.

 

The post Futuristic technologies that will drive the development of the automotive and electric vehicle industry appeared first on ELE Times.

Specialty semiconductor and performance materials producer 5N Plus Inc of Montreal, Québec, Canada says that its subsidiary AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbH of Heilbronn, Germany has completed its previously announced 2024 production capacity program ahead of schedule and expanded its capacity by 35%, surpassing its initial 30% increase target. By the end of 2025, AZUR intends to increase its solar cell production capacity by a further 30%, with minimal additional investments as most of the equipment has been purchased and delivered...

STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, is exhibiting at Industrial Transformation Asia Pacific (ITAP 2024, Booth 3C07) on 14-16 October.

The booth will showcase more than 10 demos from ST and its ecosystem partners in key industrial markets addressing edge AI use-cases for industrial automation and IoT segments, sensors for smart buildings and machinery condition monitoring, an innovative use case of NFC-powered Electronic Circuit Board, Motor Control & Servo Drives with IO Link, STM32 & Graphics solutions, wireless-connectivity solutions with Matter, and power-management solutions with STSPIN.

NFC-powered Electronic Circuit Board (ECB): The NFC-powered ECB is an innovative solution from Deng Kai Sdn Bhd that incorporates multiple ST components, including an ST25R NFC reader and an ST25DV dynamic tag, together with a low-power STM32G0 microcontroller (MCU) and an LDO voltage regulator. It integrates energy harvesting through NFC technology, a first in the industry, using an antenna to capture the electromagnetic energy from an active NFC reader and converting it into electrical power. This technology offers convenience, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness for designs with low power consumption, eliminating the need for batteries.

Multi-pose estimation AI demo: ST provides X-Linux-AI open-source software ecosystem free of charge to support multiple different edge AI use cases in industrial automation and IoT segments. The demo is built around ST’s 2nd-generation STM32MP2 microprocessor, which embeds secured and enhanced peripherals for connected applications.

Servo Drives Orchestra: This showstopper features a comprehensive motor-control demo comprising of 8 motor-control modules, which use 4 different reference designs with loads ranging from 500 W to 22 kW. Each of the motors controls a rope that pulls a load and demonstrates precision position control, in a harmonic movement coordinated simultaneously with the others. Each motor drive executes the commands sent by I/O link from the podium where an HMI interface allows to select the mode, and each of them collects temperature and vibration data, executes condition-monitoring algorithms, and wirelessly sends data to a Baidu cloud, which then informs back the system and its HMI to reflect how the systems behave and save power, among other things.

STSPIN for Motor Control: The EVSPIN32G4-DUAL is a demonstration board based on the STSPIN32G4 and STDRIVE101 for applications using two three-phase brushless motors. The STSPIN32G4 is a system-in-package integrating, in a 9×9 mm VFQFPN package, a triple high-performance half-bridge gate driver with a rich set of programmable features and one mixed-signal STM32G431 microcontroller. The STDRIVE101 is a triple half-bridge gate driver in a compact 4×4 VFQPN package featuring 600 mA current capability and embedded protection.

Sensors: ST’s latest AI sensor devices for orientation and gesture-tracking (the LSM6DSO16IS for consumer and the ISM330IS for industrial) feature the Intelligent Sensor Processing Unit (ISPU) with an embedded DSP programable core. Users can port C code into the ISPU, enabling essential functions like Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and AI solutions with tiny neural networks. This technology enhances the ability to monitor conditions and gestures effectively. The new generation of IMU sensors (the LSM6DSV for consumer) and the ISM330BX for industrial) delivers embedded sensor fusion, which processes motion data from accelerometers, gyroscopes, and external magnetometers. This provides quaternion output to track the orientation of an object in 3D space. The sensor-fusion library is also available in the STM32 library list, enhancing predictive tracking and gesture capabilities.

STM32 for Industrial Applications:

A wide variety of STM32 solutions will be on display including:

• Graphics solutions: From high-performance STM32H7 MCUs based on the 32-bit Arm Cortex-M7 core and running at up to 600 MHz, to ultra-low-power STM32U5 series offering advanced power-saving devices to meet the most demanding power/performance requirements for smart applications, including wearables, HMI, personal medical devices, home automation, and industrial sensors.
• Sustainable technology: The STM32U0 is the latest addition to the STM32 ultra-low power device range: an energy-conscious microcontroller that can reduce power consumption by up to 50% compared to previous product generations. This enables less frequent battery replacements, minimizes the impact of discarded batteries, and allows more designs to go battery free, running solely from an energy-harvesting system such as a small photovoltaic cell.
• Wireless Connectivity: ST portfolio covers all Matter device types, for its seamless interaction between connected smart homes and smart building devices across different IP technologies. Based on the STM32WB0 microcontroller, the Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) demo shows how to improve operational efficiency.

Fireside chat

ST is participating in this year’s Industrial Transformation Forum to share how we are integrating AI in our manufacturing operations to make factories smarter, propelling manufacturing into a new era of efficiency, flexibility, and sustainability.

ST looks forward to contributing to important conversations and advancing the development of smart factories.

Date	Time		Panelist/Modrator
14 Oct15:55pm – 16:25pm			Moderator: Easwaran Subramanian, Partner, Asia Pacific Supply Chain Leader, India Speakers: Jamie Neo, Director of Quality & Product Engineering,HP Jean-Marc Philippe, IT Manufacturing Solutions, Global Front-End IT Operations Director, STMicroelectronics Joseph Rosing, Head GTM Scaling for Manufacturing, AWS

The post STMicroelectronics to exhibit wide-ranging solutions enabling industrial automation and IoT segments at Industrial Transformation Asia Pacific 2024 appeared first on ELE Times.

SuperLight Photonics of Enschede, the Netherlands — a spin-off from the University of Twente that is developing a wideband laser light source for measurement and detection applications — has announced the strategic investment of Hamamatsu Ventures to drive long-term synergy in laser innovation. ..

At a time when artificial intelligence (AI)-centric system-on-chips (SoCs) are growing in size and complexity, network-on-chip (NoC) tiling hand in hand with mesh topology can support faster development of compute chip designs.

That’s the premise around which Arteris has launched tiling as the next evolutionary step in its NoC IP offerings to facilitate scaling, condense design time, speed testing, and reduce design risk. The Campbell, California-based supplier of IPs is combining NoC tiling with mesh topologies for SoC designs catering to larger AI data volumes and complex algorithms.

Figure 1 Mesh topologies complement NoC tiling to further reduce the overall SoC connectivity execution time by up to 50% versus manually integrated, non-tiled designs. Source: Arteris

SiMa.ai, a developer of machine learning (ML) SoCs, has created an Arm-based, multi-modal, software-centric edge AI platform using this mesh-based NoC IP. The upstart’s AI chip models range from CNNs to multi-modal GenAI and everything in between with scalable performance per watt.

But before we delve into further details about this new NoC technology for SoC designs, below is a brief recap of what it’s all about and why it has been launched now.

What’s NoC tiling

NoC tiling allows SoC architects to create modular, scalable designs by replicating soft tiles across the chip. And each soft tile represents a self-contained functional unit, enabling faster integration, verification and optimization.

Without NoC tiling in a neural processing unit, each neural interface unit (NIU) and transport element inside NoC is unique, and it must be implemented separately and connected to the processing element individually. That increases complexity and configuration time for the designer, which impacts time to market and makes verification effort a lot trickier.

Figure 2 NoC tiling organizes NIUs into modular, repeatable blocks to improve scalability, efficiency, and reliability in SoC designs. Source: Arteris

The tiling technique is designed to repeat modular units automatically, eliminating the need to break the design and configure each element. In other words, it divides the design into modular, repeatable units called “tiles”, enabling significant scalability, power efficiency, reduced latency, and faster development without redesigning the entire NoC architecture.

Take the example of a coherent mesh NoC with tiled CPU clusters, each containing up to 32 CPUs (Figure 3). A 5×5 mesh configuration allows 16 CPU clusters access to maximum memory bandwidth. The remaining mesh sockets are used for caches and service networks.

Figure 3 By supporting NoC tiling, mesh interconnect topologies become a common building block in AI-centric SoC designs. Source: Arteris

Mesh topology complements NoC tiling by providing an effective underlying communication infrastructure for regular processing elements. Each AI accelerator is connected to the NoC mesh, allowing seamless data exchange and collaboration in the vision processing workflow.

Otherwise, without NoC tiling, every NIU and transport element is unique and implemented separately, requiring a manual configuration step despite the same processing element in each case. And, with NoC tiling, effort to implement the NIUs—the most logically intense elements in the NoC—is drastically reduced.

Below is a sneak peek at three specific design premises accelerating AI- and ML-based semiconductor designs.

1. Scalable performance

The number of processing elements often scales non-linearly; though they scale linearly initially until memory bottlenecks are reached. Here, NoC tiling allows designers to define one processing element and its connection point and then scale that arbitrarily until the workload is met without any redesign effort.

As a result, NoC tiling supported by mesh topology enables AI-centric SoCs to easily scale by 10x+ without changing the basic design. “It enables repeating modular units within the same chip, and that allows architects to easily create scalable and modular designs, enabling faster innovation and more reliable, power-efficient AI chip development,” said Andy Nightingale, VP of product management and marketing at Arteris.

2. Power reduction

Another advantage is that NoC tiling allows easy partitioning for power reduction, so power management connectivity is replicated from within each individual tile. “Tiling connects into power-saving technology and replicates all that automatically,” Nightingale added.

NoC tiles use dynamic frequency scaling to turn off dynamically, cutting power by 20% on average, which is vital for energy-efficient and sustainable AI applications. Here, NoC tile boundaries interface into existing NoC clock and voltage domains as needed. So, groups of NoC tiles can be turned off when not needed.

3. Dynamic reuse

The pre-tested NoC tiles can be reused, cutting the SoC integration time by up to 50% and thus shortening the time to market for AI chips. This pre-configured and pre-verified interconnect feature addresses the growing demand for faster and more frequent innovation cycles in AI chips.

NoC tiling: Why now?

When asked why NoC tiling has arrived now, Nightingale told EDN that while the complexity of AI chips is going up, there are still the same number of chip designers. “Anything we can do to increase the automation and decrease the design risk, especially when you have massively parallel processing in AI chips like TPUs,” he said.

He added that when you delve into the SoC design details, they are embarrassingly parallel with repeat, repeat, and repeat, and that leads to very regular structures. “So, when AI comes along and puts requirements in hardware, chip designer has the choice of working on each individual processing element or taking advantage of technology and say connect everything for me.”

Figure 4 NoC tiling enables a chip designer to define a modular unit just once and then repeat it multiple times within the same SoC design. Source: Arteris

Nightingale concluded by saying that SoC designers have been asking for this feature for a long time. “While other NoC suppliers have tiling on the check box, Arteris is first to bring this stuff out.”

Related Content

• SoC Interconnect: Don’t DIY!
• What is the future for Network-on-Chip?
• Why verification matters in network-on-chip (NoC) design
• Network-on-chip (NoC) interconnect topologies explained
• SoC design: When is a network-on-chip (NoC) not enough

The post Why NoC tiling matters in AI-centric SoC designs appeared first on EDN.

Even in the best designs, noise and interference sneak in to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), obscure desired signals, and impair measurement accuracy and repeatability. Digitizing instruments like oscilloscopes and digitizers incorporate many features to characterize, measure, and reduce the effects of noise on measurements.

 Interfering signals

Every measurement includes the signal of interest and a collection of unwanted signals such as noise, interference, and distortion. Noise and interference are generally unrelated to the signal being measured. Distortion is an interfering signal or signals related to the signal of interest, such as harmonics. 

Noise is a random signal that is described by its statistical characteristics. Interference includes signals that are coupled into the measurement system by processes like crosstalk. Interfering signals are usually periodic in nature. Figure 1 shows an example of an interfering signal containing random and periodic components and some tools for characterizing the signal. The oscilloscope is triggered on the periodic element.

Figure 1 An example of an interfering signal with random and periodic elements. Source: Arthur Pini

 The interfering signal contains both random and periodic components. The periodic component consists of 10 MHz “spikes”. The frequency at level (freq@lvl) measurement parameter (P4 beneath the display grid) reads the frequency of the spikes at approximately 70% of the signal amplitude to avoid noise peaks. Additionally, the mean, peak-to-peak, and rms levels are measured. Digitizing instruments, including oscilloscopes and digitizers, have a variety of tools to measure the characteristics of noise signals like this. They also offer a range of analysis tools to reduce the effects of these unwanted signal elements.

Instrument noise

All digitizing instruments also add noise to the measurement. Generally, instruments are selected where the noise is much lower in level and does not affect the measurement. Based on the measurement application, oscilloscopes with 8-bit or 12-bit resolution and digitizers with 8-bit to 16-bit or higher amplitude resolution can be selected to keep instrument noise within reasonable bounds.

Differential connections

When reducing noise and interfering signals, the digitizing instrument’s input is the place to start. A good starting point is using differential connections to reduce common mode signals. Many digitizers and a few oscilloscopes have differential inputs, while oscilloscopes commonly offer differential probes to connect the device under test (DUT) to the instrument. 

Differential signaling transmits a signal using two wires driven by complementary signals. Noise and interference common to both conductors (common mode signals) are removed when the voltage difference between the two lines is calculated. The common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) measures the extent to which common mode noise is suppressed. Note also that the differential signal also does not require a ground return. In some cases, this also helps minimize the pickup of interfering signals. An example of differential signaling is the controller area network or CANbus, shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 The two differential components of the CANbus (left side) and the resultant difference showing a reduction in common mode noise. Source: Arthur Pini

The two CANbus signal components are complementary, and when one is subtracted from the other, the common mode signals, like noise and interference, cancel. Note that the difference between the two components is a voltage swing twice that of the individual signals, providing a 6 dB improvement in SNR.

The differencing operation, either in a differential probe or a difference amplifier, reduces the noise common to both lines, allowing longer cable runs. In addition to CANbus, differential signaling is common in RS-422, RS-485, Ethernet over twisted pair, and other serial data communications links.

Common mode noise and interference can be further reduced in differential signals by using twisted pairs or coaxial transmission lines which provide additional shielding from the source of the interference.

Digitizing instrument tools to reduce noise and interference.

Oscilloscopes and digitizers can perform a variety of measurements and analyses on the interfering signal. Averaging will reduce the amplitude of the random component, and background subtraction can remove the periodic component from the waveform. Figure 3 shows an analysis of the interfering signal shown in Figure 1 using these tools.

Figure 3 Using averaging and background subtraction to separate an interfering signal’s random and periodic elements. Source: Arthur Pini

 The interfering signal appears in the upper left grid. To the immediate right is the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the interfering signal. The vertical spectral lines are related to the periodic component. The periodic narrow pulse train has a fundamental component of 10 MHz, which repeats at all the odd harmonic frequencies at a near-constant amplitude. The random element, which is spectrally flat and has equal energy at all frequencies, appears as the baseline of the FFT spectrum. The top right grid holds the histogram of the interfering signal. The random component dominates the histogram, which appears to have a bell-shaped normal distribution.

Averaging the interfering signal will reduce the random noise component. If the noise component has a Gaussian or normal distribution, the signal amplitude will decrease proportional to the square root of the number of averages. The average waveform appears in the center-left grid; note the absence of the random component on the baseline. The FFT of the average waveform is in the center grid, second down from the top. Note that the amplitude of the spectral lines is still the same but that the baseline is down to about -80 dBm. The histogram has a much smaller bell-shaped response due to the noise reduction. The range measurement of the histogram reads the amplitude from the maximum peak amplitude to the minimum valley amplitude or the peak-to-peak amplitude.

Subtracting the averaged background waveform from the interfering waveform as it is acquired will remove most of the periodic waveform. This process is called background subtraction. It works where the background signal is stable, and the oscilloscope can be triggered from it. The resulting waveform appears in the bottom grid on the left. The FFT of this signal is in the occupied bottom center grid. Note that its spectrum is mostly a flat baseline with an amplitude of about -68 dBm, the same level as the baseline in the original FFT. There are some small spectral lines at the harmonic frequencies of the 10 MHz periodic signal that were not canceled by the subtraction operation. They are less than ten percent of the original harmonic amplitude. The histogram of the separated random component has a Gaussian shape. Its range is lower than the original histogram due to the absence of the periodic component.

Using background subtraction with a real signal requires that the background is captured and averaged before the signal is applied. The averaged background is then subtracted from the acquired signal. 

Cleaning up a real signal

Let’s examine reducing noise and interference from an acquired signal. The signal of interest is a 100 kHz square wave, as shown in the top left grid of Figure 4.

Figure 4 Reducing noise and interference from a 100 kHz square wave using averaging and filtering. Source: Arthur Pini

The interference waveform that we have been studying has been added to a 100 kHz square wave. The oscilloscope is triggered on the 100 kHz square wave. The FFT appears in the upper right grid. The frequency spectrum consists of the square wave spectrum with a spectral line at 100 kHz and repeated at all its odd harmonics, with their amplitudes decreasing exponentially with frequency. The 10 MHz interfering signal contributes spectral lines at 10 MHz and all its odd harmonics, which have a uniform amplitude across the whole span of the FFT. The random component raises the FFT baseline to about -70 dBm.

Averaging the waveform (second grid down on the left) removes the random component but not the periodic one. The FFT of the average signal (second down on the right) shows the 100 kHz and 10 MHz components as before, but due to the reduction in the random component, the baseline of the FFT is down to about -90 dBm. Averaging does not affect the periodic component because it is synchronous with the oscilloscope trigger.

Filtering can reduce noise and interference levels. This oscilloscope includes 20 MHz and 200 MHz analog filters in the input signal path. It also included six finite impulse response lowpass digital filters known as enhanced resolution (ERES) noise filters. The third grid down on the left, shows the signal filtered using an ERES filter. This is a lowpass filter with a -3 dB cutoff frequency of 16 MHz. The signal appears to be quite clean. The effects of the filter can be seen in the FFT of the filtered signal to the right. The low-pass filter suppresses spectral components above 16 MHz. While this works, you must be careful, low-pass filtering suppresses the harmonics of the desired signal and can affect measurements like those for transition times. 

The six bandwidths available with the ERES noise filter vary with the instrument sample rate, limiting their usefulness. This oscilloscope also has an optional digital filter package that provides a greater range of filter types and cutoff characteristics, permitting the optimization of noise and interference reduction.

By background subtracting the filtered waveform from the acquired waveform, we can see what was removed by the filter (bottom left grid). The FFT (bottom right grid) shows the missing 10 MHz and 100 kHz harmonics.

Minimizing the efforts of noise with digitizing instruments

The key techniques for minimizing the effects of noise in measurements with digitizing instruments include differential acquisitions, averaging to reduce broadband noise, background subtraction, and filtering to reduce both noise and periodic signal interference.

Arthur Pini is a technical support specialist and electrical engineer with over 50 years of experience in electronics test and measurement.

 Related Content

• Not all oscilloscopes are made equal: Why ADC and low noise floor matter
• Reducing noise in oscilloscope and digitizer measurements
• View noisy signals with a stable oscilloscope trigger
• Oscilloscope rise time and noise explained
• Using oscilloscope filters for better measurements
• Basic jitter measurements using an oscilloscope

The post Combating noise and interference in oscilloscopes and digitizers appeared first on EDN.

The US Department of Commerce and Wolfspeed Inc of Durham, NC, USA — which makes silicon carbide (SiC) materials and power semiconductor devices — have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) for up to $750m in proposed direct funding under the US CHIPS and Science Act. In addition, a consortium of investment funds led by Apollo, The Baupost Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company and Capital Group have agreed to provide an additional $750m of new financing...

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