Sfera Labs expands Strato Pi Max capabilities with new industrial I/O expansion boards

Sfera Labs has announced the release of two new expansion boards for its Strato Pi Max modular industrial controller, the industrial analog inputs X2-Series expansion board (X2BI10XAIZ) and the industrial analog outputs X2-Series expansion board (X2BI10XAOZ).

The Strato Pi Max is not just a robust, DIN-rail-mounted industrial edge server—it’s a modular powerhouse designed for demanding environments. By combining the processing capabilities of the Raspberry Pi Compute 4 or 5 and the RP2040 microcontroller with industrial-grade reliability, Strato Pi Max is ideal for a wide range of applications in industrial automation, IoT, and edge computing.

These boards seamlessly integrate with the Strato Pi Max, broadening its capabilities and enabling users to tailor the system precisely to their control application needs.

The X2BI10XAIZ expansion board provides four 4-20mA and four 0-10V, galvanically isolated, highly accurate inputs to connect standard industrial probes, as well as two additional inputs specific for PT100 and PT1000 temperature sensors. The analog signals are converted by the 24-bit AD4112 ADC, which provides for high accuracy and resolution. The board also features a 5V auxiliary power output and two digital I/O lines compatible with protocols like 1-Wire, Wiegand, and I²C.

This board is designed for monitoring and controlling industrial processes, such as temperature sensing in manufacturing, current and voltage monitoring in energy management systems, and data acquisition in IoT applications.

The X2BI10XAOZ expansion board offers four analog outputs, configurable as either 0-10V voltage or 0-20mA current drivers. It also includes two digital I/O lines and a 5V auxiliary power output, making it a versatile solution for controlling industrial actuators, valves, and other analog devices.

The X2BI10XAOZ is ideal for controlling actuators, valves, motors, and other industrial equipment requiring analog signals. It can be used in various applications, including process control, building automation, test and measurements setup and robotics.

https://www.sferalabs.cc

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Infineon announces PSOC 4 Multi-Sense expanding capacitive sensing technology

Infineon has  expanded its capacitive sensing technology CAPSENSE with a new, proprietary inductive sensing technology, as well as a non-invasive and non-contact liquid sensing solution. With PSOC 4, developers now have endless possibilities to develop new HMI and sensing solutions. From sleek metallic product designs with touch on metal buttons, to waterproof touch buttons, and innovative ways of sensing liquids, PSOC 4 Multi-Sense unlocks new possibilities of sensing.

Infineon’s PSOC 4000T is the first device to feature the company’s fifth-generation CAPSENSE and Multi-Sense. The supported sensing technologies can be combined in a single PSOC 4 MCU to optimise performance (e.g., combination of capacitive and inductive sensing), enable new use cases (e.g., underwater inductive sensing buttons) or realize cost savings (e.g., system control plus liquid sensing). In addition, Infineon’s fifth generation CAPSENSE with “Always On” technology enables sensing at 10x lower power consumption and offers a 10x higher signal-to-noise ratio than previous devices.

Infineon’s new Multi-Sense capabilities in the PSOC 4 family include:

Inductive sensing – Based on a new and proprietary methodology which is less sensitive to noise and more robust than current state of the art approaches that suffer from external noise as well as manufacturability concerns. Infineon’s inductive sensing technology enables new HMI use cases, such as touch-over-metal, force touch surfaces and proximity sensing. It is highly complementary to capacitive sensing and enables modern, metal-based and waterproof designs with sleek form factors such as metal touch buttons on refrigerators or robust HMI for underwater devices such as cameras and wearables.

Liquid sensing – Non-invasive and non-contact liquid sensing capability with AI/ML based processing algorithm in PSOC 4 enables more cost-effective and accurate sensing than mechanical sensors and typical capacitive solutions. It is resistant to environmental factors such as temperature and humidity and can detect liquid levels with up to 10-bit resolution in various shapes of containers. The solution offers even more features that other liquid sensors cannot solve such as foam rejection, residue rejection and reliably work with varying air gaps between sensor and container. Liquid sensing on PSOC 4 brings more intelligence to applications managing liquids such as robot vacuum cleaner, soap dispensing in washing machine, coffee machines, humidifiers, etc.

CAPSENSE hover touch – Hover touch sensing supports new use cases where a direct touch of a button is not required. Hover touch can eliminate multiple components in certain applications such as springs and gaskets in cooktop touch panels. By bridging the airgap with hover touch, customers achieve significant bill-of-material (BOM) savings, while realising increased system performance, reduced design complexity, and faster time-to-market.

Infineon’s PSOC 4000T with fifth-generation CAPSENSE and new Multi-Sense capability is available now. A second device, the new PSOC 4100T Plus with higher memory and more I/Os, will be Multi-Sense-enabled in the second quarter of 2025, and all subsequent PSOC devices with CAPSENSE will incorporate this technology. The new PSOC 4000T series provides an upgrade path for PSOC 4000, PSOC 4000S and PSOC T 4700S based designs to fifth-generation HMI technology with software and package compatibility.

https://www.infineon.com/multi-sense

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ST releases innovative satellite navigation receiver to democratise precise positioning

ST has introduced the Teseo VI family of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers aimed at high-volume precise positioning use cases. For the automotive industry, Teseo VI chips and modules will be core building blocks of advanced driving systems (ADAS), smart in-vehicle systems, and safety-critical applications such as autonomous driving. They have also been designed to improve positioning capabilities in multiple industrial applications including asset trackers, mobile robots for home deliveries, managing machinery and crop monitoring in smart agriculture, timing systems such as base stations, and many more.

“Our new Teseo VI receivers represent a real breakthrough among positioning engines for several reasons: they are the first to integrate multi-constellation and quad-band signal processing in a single die; they are the first to embed a dual-Arm®-core architecture enabling both very high performance and ASIL-level safety for assisted and autonomous driving applications. Last but not least, they embed ST’s proprietary embedded Non-Volatile-Memory (PCM), thus delivering a very integrated, cost-effective, and reliable platform for new precise-positioning solutions,” said Luca Celant, Digital Audio and Signal Solutions General Manager, STMicroelectronics. “ST’s new satellite-navigation receivers will support exciting, advanced capabilities in automotive ADAS applications and enable many new use cases being implemented by industrial companies.”

Teseo VI is the first in the market to integrate all the necessary system elements for centimetre accuracy into one die, supporting simultaneous multi-constellation and quad-band operations. This innovation simplifies the development of end-user navigation and positioning products, enhances reliability even in challenging conditions like urban canyons, and reduces bill-of-materials costs. Additionally, the single chip accelerates time to market and allows for compact and lightweight form factors.

The new Teseo VI family of precise positioning receiver chips leverages decades of experience and integrates multiple ST proprietary technologies, including precise positioning and advanced embedded memory.

ST’s new GNSS device family includes the Teseo VI STA8600A and Teseo VI+, STA8610A, each with dual independent Arm® Cortex®-M7 processing cores for local control of all the IC’s (integrated circuit) functions. The Cortex-M7 brings powerful 32-bit processing and helps enable concurrent multi-constellation and multi-band operation on a single die.

Teseo VI+ can also host various enhanced positioning engines, developed independently by third ST Authorised Partner companies, to provide complete real-time kinematics for centimetre position accuracy.

Completing the family, the Teseo APP2 STA9200MA operates dual cores in lockstep, providing hardware redundancy for applications such as road vehicle guidance meeting ISO 26262 ASIL-B functional safety. Pin-compatibility between Teseo APP2 and other Teseo VI ICs simplifies PCB design for companies producing ASIL-certified and non-ASIL applications.

All variants feature ST’s innovative RF architecture and GNSS baseband design provides quad-band GNSS support (L1, L2, L5 and E6) with the unique ability to acquire and track only L5. This is highly effective in reducing outliers and increasing robustness in difficult conditions such as urban canyons and in the presence of jammers.

In addition, the proprietary phase-change memory (PCM) technology removes external memory needs, thereby minimising the system bill of materials (BOM) and simplifying the manufacturing supply chain. Proprietary PCM is robust to withstand challenging environments such as automotive, non-volatile like Flash, and has a small cell architecture suited to space-efficient on-chip integration.

The ICs all contain a full set of hardware cyber security features including secure boot, over-the-air firmware update, and output-data protection. In addition, ST’s hardware security module (HSM) provides robust protection against online hacking. The devices comply with the latest UNECE R155 and ISO 21434 specifications that mandate cybersecurity by design.

The Teseo VI product family is supported by an established ecosystem of suppliers and partners for algorithms, reference designs, and compatible complementary hardware.

The Teseo VI product family includes also two new GNSS automotive modules: the Teseo-VIC6A in a 16mm x 12mm form factor (embedding Teseo VI), and the Teseo-ELE6A in a 17mm x 22mm form factor (embedding Teseo VI+). These new modules simplify the integration of Teseo VI/VI+ ICs on the customer platform and ensure optimum performance.

https://www.st.com/teseo6

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Renesas teams up with Applus+ Labs to achieve PSA Certified Level 1 with CRA extension

Renesas has announced that it has successfully obtained PSA Certified Level 1 certification with the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) compliance extension for three of its latest microcontroller Groups (MCUs). This certification, evaluated by Applus+ Laboratories, marks a significant step in Renesas’ commitment to cybersecurity and compliance with upcoming European regulations.

The certified RA4L1 MCU Group features low power, 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) based on the Arm Cortex-M33 (CM33) core with Arm TrustZone® technology, delivering an ideal balance of low voltage operation, low power consumption and high performance. The integrated low power features, advanced security engine, and communication interfaces make these devices ideal for many Industrial Automation, Home Appliances, Smart Home, Consumer, Building/Home Automation and Medical/Healthcare applications.

The certified RA8E1 and RA8E2 MCU Groups, both based on the Arm Cortex-M85 (CM85) architecture, are designed for a wide range of applications including industrial automation, home appliances, smart home systems, and medical devices. The RA8E1 MCU Group features Arm Helium technology for Vision and Voice AI applications, while the RA8E2 MCU Group incorporates a Graphics LCD for advanced Human-Machine Interface (HMI) solutions.

PSA Certified, a leading global security framework established by Arm and industry partners in 2019, has introduced an extension to its Level 1 certification that addresses the compliance requirements of the upcoming European Cyber Resilience Act. This new regulation, set to become mandatory in December 2027, will apply to a broad spectrum of digital products.

“We’re proud to be at the forefront of IoT security,” said Daryl Khoo, Vice President of the Embedded Processing Marketing Division at Renesas. “Achieving PSA Certified Level 1 with the CRA compliance extension demonstrates our commitment to providing our customers with secure, future-proof solutions.”

“With the continued adoption of edge AI devices across all markets and new government regulations coming into effect, security must be prioritised to ensure trusted AI deployment, protecting both businesses and consumers,” said David Maidment, senior director, market strategy at Arm. “Initiatives like PSA Certified are fundamental to driving robust device security and we congratulate Renesas on these new certifications which showcase security leadership in the age of AI.”

Jose Ruiz, Cybersecurity BU Director at Applus+ Laboratories, added, “We are committed to providing cybersecurity evaluation solutions that boost market trust and help vendors comply with regulatory requirements. Reducing fragmentation in cybersecurity certification is key, and we welcome PSA Certified’s efforts to align with other private schemes as well as governmental requirements.”

PSA Certified Level 1 also offers additional extensions to comply with the European RED directive and the UK PSTI regulation, both applicable to connected and IoT products, further enhancing its value to manufacturers in meeting global security standards. In addition, Renesas has achieved PSA Certified Level 3 RoT Component certification for the RA8D1, RA8M1 and RA8T1 MCU Groups, further demonstrating Renesas’ long-term commitment to security, including physical protections for the Root of Trust. Visit the Renesas IoT security page for more information.

https://www.renesas.com/MCUs

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