Impulse Embedded adds Nuvo-9000 embedded computer to its line card

Equipped as a fanless design for quiet operation and increased memory bandwidth with new DDR5 memory support, the Nuvo-9000 Intel 12th Generation Alder Lake rugged embedded computer has been added to the portfolio available from Impulse Embedded.

The Nuvo range from Neousys covers rugged and embedded applications from AI inference through to in-vehicle systems. 

The Nuvo-9000 series features the latest Intel 12th Generation core processors code-named Alder Lake. The processors feature a new hybrid core design supporting fast DDR5-4800 memory, flexible expansion options and rich I/O count, for industrial and AI computing applications at the edge. 

The Nuvo-9000 supports Intel’s flagship Core i9-12900E, a 16-core 24-thread hybrid processor that features eight big or performance cores with hyper-threading and eight low power efficient cores. By using Intel’s new Thread Director, users can assign demanding tasks to the larger performance cores while pushing background functional tasks to efficient cores, allowing the system performance to be more focused on high-intensity workloads.

The Nuvo-9000 features an extensive complement of high-speed I/O ports including up to six Gigabit Ethernet ports with PoE capability for machine vision applications, six highspeed 10Gbits per second USB3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, and a superspeed++ USB3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port with screw lock, capable of 20Gbits per second data transfer speeds to external devices. The system also offers triple independent display support via VGA, DVI-D and DisplayPort interfaces as well as four serial ports supporting RS-232 / 422 / 485 signals and one audio line-in / out interface. The Nuvo-9000 series can also be installed with the fastest NVMe solid-state drives on the market via an M.2 2280 slot that supports 4th Gen PCI Express [x4] signals. 

Neousys’ patented expansion cassette allows the addition of PCI and PCI Express cards and simplifies maintenance procedures. The Nuvo-9000 has two PCIe x16 or PCI slot options for supporting frame grabber cards, supercapacitor power backup module and DAQ cards.

The MezIO expansion system is an interchangeable mezzanine board connector which can be installed into the Nuvo 9000 to allow the system to be tailored with additional I/O boards to suit more specific application demands without the need for complex design modifications to its fanless rugged design. MezIO features a whole host of I/O expansion board options including RS-232 / 422 / 485, isolated digital I/O, ignition power control, USB3.1 Gen 1, GigE, PoE+ and storage expansion options. 

Impulse Embedded can configure the Nuvo-9000 to a customer’s exact specifications in their UK based engineering facility with a choice of processor, memory, storage, additional I/O boards and operating system.

Impulse Embedded Systems capabilities can create reliable, repeatable, and revision-controlled systems aimed at reducing customers overall project costs and development time. An in-house team of engineers and specialists, all with decades of experience, can provide fully deployable embedded computing straight out of the box. 

http://www.impulse-embedded.co.uk 

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IoT tag has advanced M-FSK modulation for smart applications

Socionext, ZiFiSense and Techsor has developed the SC1330A LSI for IoT tag. The low cost LPWAN 2.0 LSI is claimed to be the industry’s first Advanced M-FSK LSI designed exclusively for upstream transmission. It supports sub-GHz ISM bands such as 418 to 510MHz and 815 to 930MHz. It features low power consumption, long distance transmission and high-speed mobile communications, for smart IoT applications such as environmental monitoring, logistics tracking, asset management, and automated meter reading.

Unlike devices such as those based on NB-IoT (Narrow Band-IoT) and LoRa, the Advanced M-FSK in the SC1330A supports uni-directional upstream transmission, because environmental monitoring, logistics tracking, asset management and automated meter reading often do not require downstream communications. Solely upstream transmission reduces costs and power consumption, explained Socionext. The SC1330A also has a carrier sense function that detects the presence of radio waves in specific frequency bands to prevent interference with other communication devices.

The IoT tag integrates a 32-bit RISC-V core, GPIO, I2C, SPI, UART and external interrupt interfaces and signal processing units in a single device. It is mounted in a 4.0 x 4.0mm QFN 24 package using high frequency signal processing and packaging technologies to reduce bill of materials costs, total IoT footprint and power consumption.

The SC1330A can be used in a range of cost-sensitive applications including consumer goods, asset management, and logistics tracking.

Compared with other LPWA systems, the energy efficient SC1330A consumes approximately 20mA when transmitting at 10mW (10dBm), said Socionext. It achieves a communication speed of one kbits per second at a distance of around three to 5.0km. The tag can also incorporate paper and coin batteries for extended life. For low-frequency communications applications, such as readings from smart meters and large-scale devices asset management, the SC1330A features up to 10 years of life expectancy.

Mass production will begin in calendar Q4 of 2022.  The SC1330A can support a variety of protocols, it will be able to expand LPWAN world.

Socionext supplies SoCs for automotive, data center, networking and smart devices market sectors. Socionext is headquartered in Yokohama, and has offices in Japan, Asia, United States and Europe.

ZiFiSense was founded in 2013 in Cambridge, UK. It provides low power IoT and wireless technologies and advocates the LPWA ZETA standard and use ZETA technology in smart buildings, logistics and factories.

Techsor is a start-up company established in October 2016 and the sole distributor in Japan for ZETA technologies and products. It is also a founding member of the ZETA Alliance. In collaboration with alliance companies, Techsor is promoting digital transformation such as smart building, smart agriculture, smart logistics, and smart health care using IoT technologies. 

https://www.socionext.com/en/

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Transmitter controller IC is Qi v1.3.2-certified for wireless charging

At Computex in Taipei, Taiwan this week, Infineon has introduced the WLC integrated and scalable wireless charging platform. 

The WLC1115 transmitter controller IC is the first product of the WLC family of controllers for inductive wireless charging. Infineon has also introduced an accompany Qi v1.3.2 certified MP A11 power transmitter reference design. The IC can be used for wireless charging in a variety of consumer devices, such as smartphones, smart speakers, docking stations and monitor stands, as well as industrial or healthcare accessories.

The WLC1115 transmitter controller IC and companion reference design for wireless charging can be used for a wide range of consumer and industrial applications that demand state-of-the-art Qi-standard compliance, explained Ajay Srikrishna, senior vice president and general manager of the Wired Connectivity Solutions product line at Infineon. “As inductive wireless charging standards evolve, our programmable solution will offer the flexibility to scale higher power levels and allow OEMs to materialise differentiated features while remaining Qi-compatible,” he added.

Infineon’s WLC1115 integrated, Qi-compliant, configurable 15W transmitter controller IC includes a USB-PD/PPS sink, DC/DC controller, gate drivers for DC/DC, a full-bridge inverter, sensing peripherals and configurable flash memory. It supports a wide input voltage range (4.5 to 24V), multi-path voltage- and current-based ASK (amplitude shift keying) demodulation. It also features an integrated, programmable, high-side current-sense amplifier and adaptive foreign object detection (FOD) via Q-factor, resonant frequency and power loss.Protection features for under-voltage lockout (UVLO), over-voltage protection (OVP), over-current protection (OCP) and over-temperature protection (OTP) are programmable.

The WLC1115-based Extended Power Profile (EPP) transmitter uses Optiga Trust Charge to meet the authentication requirements specified in the Qi v1.3.2 standard.

Infineon also provides software tools that support Qi v1.3.2 and proprietary charging protocols.

The Infineon WLC1115 transmitter controller IC is available now. 

Infineon is presenting at Computex (24 to 27 May 2022) in Taipei, Taiwan. Visit Infineon at Computex, Hall 1 – 412.

http://www.infineon.com

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Three-phase sensorless BLDC gate drivers cool data centres

Additions to Allegro Microsystems’ three-phase sensorless brushless DC (BLDC) gate drivers, the A89332 and A89332-1 improve thermal efficiency, reduce energy use and data centre costs, claims the company.

The A89332 and A89332-1 are designed for cooling systems in today’s data centres. The A89332 is available with integrated power loss brake while the A89332-1 has AC-loss features. Both drivers enable compact, high airflow fan designs, said Allegro Microsystems.

When server fans malfunction or break, backflow causes them to go into reverse rotation. Other fans have to work harder to compensate, which increases power consumption. Conventional solutions to prevent reverse rotation involve adding external circuitry and components to function as the power loss brake. The components however do not fit into 1U fans and require software coding. This approach also increases bill of material (BoM) costs and increases time to market, said Allegro.

Its solution is the A89332’s integrated power loss brake (PLB) function which applies a brake to fans that are not working properly and stops them from spinning. The result is braking performance that is four times better than discrete implementations. This eliminates unnecessary power consumption and increases thermal efficiency, said Allegro, ultimately reducing data centre costs. When combined with the A89332-1’s AC loss logic, the gate drivers in a 4.0 x 4.0mm QFN package are suitable for the high-end server market and in a form factor that is 36 per cent smaller than comparable options and “perfect for “donut” circuit boards” said the company.

Allegro said it offers the industry’s only code-free solutions for server cooling fans. Its embedded algorithms and graphical user interface (GUI) eliminate the need for an additional Hall-effect position sensor and motor control unit with no additional software development required. 

“The need to build data centres that operate more sustainably and consume less power is accelerating,” says Andy Wang, product line director for Motors (Industrial) at Allegro. “It’s not just about building low-maintenance ‘lights-out’ facilities; server and component designers are looking for new and novel ways to reduce heat and power consumption, and fans play a big role,” he continued.

The A89332 and A89332-1 offer developers improved control over their cooling systems for maximum efficiency, said Wang.

Both devices are available in a 26-contact 4.0 x 4.0mm QFN package with exposed thermal pad (suffix EX). The packages are lead (Pb) -free, with 100 per cent matt-tin leadframe plating

Allegro MicroSystems provides sensing and power technologies for green energy to advanced mobility and motion control systems. The company offers global engineering, manufacturing and support.

http://www.allegromicro.com

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