LEM claims HMSR DA current sensor is a world first

At next week’s PCIM Europe, LEM will introduce what is believed to be the world’s first integrated current sensor with sigma delta bitstream output.

The HMSR DA is the latest member of the HMSR family of robust sensors for measuring DC and AC currents in highly demanding switching power applications in commercial and industrial applications. 

The HMSR DA is designed for applications that are prone to noise, distortion and interference and where clean signals are required to avoid “significant problems in case of vibrations, electric noise and electromagnetic noise”.

The sensors are characterised by superior signal share and reduced noise, said LEM, as well as lower cost and a smaller mechanical footprint. HMSR DA will replace more complex and costly alternative systems that would traditionally include a shunt resistor, a digital insulator and a power supply circuit. The integrated sensor is designed for applications where space is at a premium and minimal cost is essential, advised LEM.

Typical applications for the digital output unit include standalone servo drives, robotics, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), CNC machine tools and other applications that demand high resolution output. The HMSR DA sensor offers resolution of 11 to 13 bits and features a 10MHz clock. LEM has announced that it is already working on the next generation of digital integrated circuit sensors which will offer a resolution of 14 to 16 bits and a clock operating above 20MHz.

Analogue versions of LEM’s HMSR range of high insulated, integrated current sensors offer a small and compact current sensor, strong immunity to stray fields, reinforced isolation and a 300kHz bandwidth. The HMSR DA digital integrated circuit sensor will enable engineers to look at new ways of formulating their system design, said LEM. The Sigma Delta bitstream output is easy to use and allows customers to apply filters to adapt the sensor to their specific needs.

http://www.lem.com  

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Multi-protocol microcontroller supports Ethernet and Industry 4.0

As industrial environments move towards industry 4.0, it can be difficult to enable seamless industrial connectivity across both time-sensitive and real time communications. To address this, a crossover microcontroller with integrated Gbit time sensitive networking (TSN) switch has been released by NXP. 

The i.MX RT1180 crossover microcontroller enables both time-sensitive and industrial real time communications and supports multiple communications protocols. According to NXP, it bridges the gap between existing industrial systems and industry 4.0 systems. It is claimed to be the first crossover microcontroller to include an EdgeLock secure enclave, a pre-configured, self-managed and autonomous on-die security sub-system for robust, system-wide security intelligence for industrial IoT applications. 

Package options start from 10 x 10mm BGA, making the i.MX RT1180 one of the smallest real time industrial networking-capable devices, said NXP. It can integrate TSN and industrial networking capabilities into a variety of industrial use cases, including I/O management, motor control, compact motion control or gateway applications. 

It can also serve as a network companion chip, providing all required industrial network connectivity to a host processor via scalable connectivity stepping up to seamless Gb direct communication with the host without on-board PHY.

The i.MX RT1180 is also suitable for automotive connectivity applications, which increasingly rely on Ethernet TSN support for both high bandwidth and real time control data. This allows the i.MX RT1180 to act as an intelligent switch between different automotive engine control units (ECUs).

It features dual-core architecture, including an 800MHz Arm Cortex-M7 and Cortex-M33 and is designed for power efficiency with target use cases starting from 250mW and has an integrated PMIC (power management IC) to optimise energy efficiency, as well as reduce board complexity and cost. It has up 5Gbit ports to support the latest TSN standards, as well as multiple industrial real time network protocols, including EtherCAT, Profinet, Ethernet/IP, CC-Link IE or HSR. The i.MX RT1180 is also designed to help OEMs ease device compliance for ISA/IEC 62443-4-1, -4-2. 

The microcontroller operates in the extended industrial qualification temperature range (-40 to +125 degrees C).

http://www.nxp.com

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Nexperia extends DFN packaging to AEC-Q101-compliant discretes

Discrete components from Nexperia are now available in miniature DFN packaging with side-wettable flanks. The company has introduced the AEC-Q101-compliant components to save board space in automotive designs.

The components are intended for applications in smart and electric vehicles, explained the company, with AEC-Q101 devices available cuts across all Nexperia’s product groups.

The new releases are the BC817QBH-Q and BC807QBH-Q series 45V, 500mA NPN / PNP general purpose transistors in a DFN1110D-3 package. There is also the BAT32LS-Q and BAT42LS-Q general purpose Schottky diode in a DFN1006BD-2
package and the BAS21LS-Q high-speed switching diode in a DFN1006BD-2 package.

Nexperia has also introduced the PDTA143 / 114 / 124 / 144EQB-Q series 50V 100mA PNP resistor-equipped transistor (RET) family in the DFN1110D-3 package. 

Finally, there are two trench MOSFETs, the 2N7002KQB 60V and the BSS84AKQB  50V, P-channel devices, both in the DFN1110D-3 package.

According to Nexperia, leadless DFN packages are up to 90 per cent smaller than SOT23 packages, contributing to a reduction in the amount of board space required for an increasing number of electronic components in vehicles. The side-wettable flank offers very reliable automated optical inspection (AOI) of solder joint quality, added the company. Nexperia’s DFN packages deliver thermal performance with high Ptot and are claimed to be the most rugged in the industry passing extended lifetime and reliability tests.

Nexperia claims to offer the widest range of AEC-Q101 qualified discrete components in these miniature leadless packages. According to Mark Roeloffzen, senior vice president and general manager of Nexperia’s Bipolar Discretes business group, more than 460 different high volume devices are available in the recently released DFN1412D-3, DFN1110D-3, and DFN1006BD-2 packages. “By offering even more devices in these miniature packages, Nexperia provides design engineers with greater opportunities to make their designs future-proof, having an impact on the mobility of the future,” he said. 

The new technology already has design-in and commitment from major Tier 1 automotive suppliers, he added.

Samples and production quantities are available now.

http://www.nexperia.com 

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PIC and AVR microcontrollers extend 8-bit families

Recognising the increasing market for 8bit microcontrollers, Microchip has added five families to its 8bit PCI and AVR families. In total there are over 60 new devices.

PIC and AVR microcontrollers combine processing power with the ability to easily communicate with other chips and a range of analogue peripherals for configurability without changes to the PCB, said Microchip. They combine ASIC-like capabilities with a simple development experience and can be configured as smart peripheral chips, continued the company. 

For example, the MVIO peripheral, including the AVR DD family can be used in systems which use different supply voltages, for example connecting a 5V microcontroller to a 1.8V sensor. The MVIO peripheral on Microchip’s latest 8bit microcontrollers, including the AVR DD family, allows a single port on the microcontroller to operate in a different voltage domain, which eliminates the need for additional external components and negates the need for level-shifting hardware, said Microchip.

For systems which do require a level of speed and response time that is difficult to achieve with software-based processing, Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) are available across the PIC and AVR product ranges. CPIs can be programmed with MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC) to form a hardware processing chain and create custom peripherals that eliminate software processing cycle times, explained Microchip. For example, a WS2812 LED array, which requires timing to be driven correctly, can be controlled by configuring a super peripheral (consisting of a pulse-width modulator (PWM), a serial peripheral interface (SPI) and the configurable logic cell.

Microchip’s 8bit microcontroller portfolio is pin-to-pin compatible, which allows an alternative PIC or AVR device to be used when more performance is needed or when a customer wants to maximise product availability while minimising redesign requirements.

Microchip offers an ecosystem of hardware and software tools, including its MPLAB X and MPLAB Xpress integrated development environments (IDEs). The portfolio also includes the MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC), which offers an intuitive graphical interface to generate production-ready set up and application code for 8bit microcontroller-based projects.

The latest AVR and PIC 8bit microcontrollers are currently sampling.

http://www.microchip.com

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