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Mouser now shipping Nordic’s Thingy:91 X prototyping platform for wireless IoT applications

Thu, Feb 27, 2025

Mouser is now shipping the new Thingy:91 X Prototyping Platform from Nordic Semiconductor. The Thingy:91 X is an easy-to-use, battery-operated prototyping platform for cellular Internet of Things (IoT) proof-of-concept (PoC) demos and initial cellular IoT device development for logistics, asset tracking, smart city, predictive maintenance, industrial and wearable applications.

The Nordic Semiconductor Thingy:91 X is designed to address the needs of emerging low-power cellular IoT applications utilising Nordic’s nRF9151 cellular IoT system-in-package (SiP) with an integrated Arm Cortex-M33 CPU and Arm TrustZone and CryptoCell security technology, which supports LTE-M, NB-IoT, GNSS, and NR+ certified for global operation. The Thingy:91 X platform comes preloaded with an asset-tracking application and a comprehensive set of sensors that monitor environmental conditions and movement, enhancing its utility in various IoT applications. The Thingy:91 X includes multiple digital and analog interfaces and peripherals for many design possibilities, including expansion options through a debug board connector and an expansion board connector compatible with Qwiic, STEMMA QT, and Grove systems.

The Thingy:91 X Prototyping Platform comes with all necessary modem firmware, RTOS, application software examples, and hardware reference designs to implement a full cellular IoT design. The Thingy:91 X features two user-programmable buttons for user input, with user-programmable RGB LEDs for output, along with a Nano/4FF SIM card slot, supporting (e)SIM, and bundled Onomondo and Wireless Logic SIM cards preloaded with data to connect to nRF Cloud out-of-the-box. The package also includes a 1350mAh rechargeable Li-Po battery to facilitate prototype field testing.

https://eu.mouser.com

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Flexible 1A buck converter from ST powers low-voltage loads in smart meters, home appliances and industrial converters

Wed, Feb 26, 2025

ST’ DCP3601 miniature monolithic buck converter combines extensive feature integration and flexibility, enabling simple, low-BOM designs to achieve high conversion efficiency. The power switches and compensation are built-in, requiring only six components to complete the circuit, including the inductor, bootstrap and filter capacitors, and feedback resistors for setting the output voltage.

With its 3.3V-to-36V input voltage range and 1A output capability, the DCP3601 can power low-voltage loads in applications such as smart meters, domestic appliances, and industrial 24V conversion. Synchronous rectification and a fixed switching frequency of 1MHz ensure high efficiency across the load range and under all operating conditions, reaching 91% at 600mA with 12V input and 5V output.

Flexibility comes from the selection of different variants, offering the choice of forced-PWM operation for noise-sensitive applications or pulse-skipping at light load for minimal power consumption. Additionally, both the low-noise and low-consumption variants are available with frequency dithering to reduce noise power at the 1MHz switching frequency. All variants have extremely low quiescent current of 110µA and an Enable pin that allows turning off the converter with a dedicated signal to maximize power savings.

Designers can quickly start new projects with the DCP3601 using the dedicated evaluation board, STEVAL-3601CV1. The board comes with screw terminals and headers and is ready to power-up out of the box, demonstrating an efficient circuit design with a compact footprint.

First in the new buck-converter product family that will expand throughout the year, the DCP3601 is included in ST’s 10-year longevity program that ensures long-term access to components and support. Packaged as a 3mm x 1.6mm SOT23 6-lead device, the single-chip buck converter is priced from $0.48 for orders of 1000 pieces.

https://www.st.com/dcp360

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Rutronik System Solutions expands functionality of RDK3 base board

Tue, Feb 25, 2025

The growing demand for IoT devices is accompanied by an equally growing demand for energy-efficient energy harvesting modules. In order to meet the ecological and economic challenges of this trend, Rutronik is focusing on innovative solutions for harvesting energy from the surrounding environment. To this end, Rutronik’s System Solution developers, together with Rutronik’s wireless application experts, are introducing an innovative extension for the RDK3 Base Board. The new Ambient IoT remote control uses energy harvesting technology and thus offers a sustainable solution for the growing IoT ecosystem – without the need for a battery.

Thanks to the use of efficient wireless system-on-chip and power management semiconductors, energy harvesting can now replace conventional batteries in many applications. In addition to being environmentally friendly, this technology also reduces the costs associated with battery maintenance, supply chain, logistics, and disposal.

For the new extension of the RDK3, Rutronik allows the Infineon PSOCTM 64 (Secured MCU) integrated in the development kit to communicate with an EnOcean PTM 216B module, which contains a nRF52 SoC from Nordic Semiconductor, with an integrated Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) interface. In the developed demo, the latter is located in a standard light switch and draws its electrical energy from mechanical motion – such as a keystroke. The RDK3 enables easy, cross-supplier communication between components, which means added design flexibility.

This type of technology is already established in light switches in buildings based on the Sub GHz EnOcean protocol. This protocol and ecosystem are maintained by the American EnOcean Alliance, which takes care of this 868 (EU) / 902 (USA) / 928 (JPN) MHz protocol. The German EnOcean GmbH manufactures the hardware for this. In a single module, both the components for kinematic energy harvesting and wireless connectivity are embedded. For the RDK3-based remote control, the company’s expertise and patents in the field of energy harvesting are used, but combined with Nordic Semiconductor’s Bluetooth technology, instead of the original Sub GHz-SoC.

https://www.rutronik.com/

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Rohm’s new TVS diodes support in-vehicle communication systems for autonomous driving

Wed, Feb 19, 2025

Rohm has developed bidirectional TVS (ESD protection) diodes compatible with CAN FD (CAN with Flexible Data rate) high-speed in-vehicle communication. Such protocols are seeing an increased demand in line with the ongoing advancement in autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). CAN FD is a crucial communication technology for safe, real-time data transmission between ECUs (Electronic Control Units) in vehicles. The new products achieve high-quality in-vehicle transmission by protecting electronic devices such as ECUs from surges and electrostatic discharge (ESD) while maintaining signal integrity in high-speed communication systems such as CAN FD.

The rapid evolution of autonomous driving technology and ADAS is boosting the demand for faster, more reliable automotive communication. Autonomous driving in particular requires quick and accurate processing of vast amounts of data from sensors such as cameras, LiDAR and radar – leading to the adoption of CAN FD that enables faster, higher capacity data transfer compared to traditional CAN used in automotive communication.

At the same time, to achieve high-speed in-vehicle communication, it is necessary to ensure stable transmission even under harsh environments. This has led to a growing demand for protection components that offer low terminal capacitance along with superior surge current rating and clamping voltage performance. As a result, the market for TVS diodes for automotive communication is expected to continue to grow in the future.

To meet market needs, Rohm developed the ESDCANxx series that combines low terminal capacitance with excellent surge tolerance. Two package types are available: SOT-23 (2.9mm × 2.4mm) and DFN1010 (1.0mm × 1.0mm), both supporting standoff voltages (VRWM) of 24V and 27V. The SOT-23 package includes four models: 24V ESDCAN24HPY / ESDCAN24HXY and 27V ESDCAN27HPY / ESDCAN27HXY. Similarly, the DFN1010 package is also offered in four models: 24V ESDCAN24YPA / ESDCAN24YXA and 27V ESDCAN27YPA / ESDCAN27YXA, totalling 8 products in the lineup.

The new products feature an optimised element structure that reduces terminal capacitance to a maximum of 3.5pF, preventing signal degradation during high-speed communication. High surge tolerance is also achieved, significantly improving the protection of electronic devices in automotive environments. For example, the 27V products of the DFN1010 package delivers approx. 3.2 times higher surge current rating and 16% lower clamping voltage compared to standard CAN FD-compatible products. This effectively safeguards expensive surge-sensitive electronic devices such as in-vehicle ECUs, ensuring high reliability even under harsh automotive environments.

https://www.rohm.com

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