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Microchip releases 20 Wi-Fi products for industrial and commercial applications

Tue, Oct 15, 2024

With Industry 4.0, the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), digitised manufacturing and the age of IoT everything, the demand for wireless connectivity in commercial and industrial applications is growing at an exceptional pace. These applications typically require reliable connectivity that can withstand extreme environments that are exposed to high temperatures, background noise and obstructions. To help meet this need, Microchip Technology has added 20 products to its Wi-Fi® portfolio.

The company’s Wi-Fi solutions are designed to support various application needs and developer skill levels. The selection ranges from modules that are regulatory certified in several countries that require no Radio Frequency (RF) expertise and little programming to robust Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) with industrial-level features.

Microchip’s Wi-Fi portfolio includes:
• Wi-Fi MCUs: all-in-one solution designed to combine the functionality of an MCU with reliable wireless connectivity
• Link Controllers: an SDIO interface enables the addition of Wi-Fi to Linux MPUs
• Network Controllers: an SPI interface allows the addition of wireless connectivity to an MCU
• Plug-and-Play Modules: simplify wireless-to-cloud connectivity by sending simple text commands from an MCU over a UART interface

The latest PIC32MZ-W1 Wi-Fi MCUs build on Microchip’s trusted 32-bit MCU line and feature advanced analog peripherals—including CAN, Ethernet, capacitive touch and ADC—to offer exceptional versatility. Additionally, the new devices feature some of the highest General-Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) capabilities on the market.

Also included in the lineup are next-generation WINCS02 network controllers and WILCS02 link controllers. Updates to the popular WINC and WILC solutions include improved radio performance and enhanced security features. The new wireless modules are pin-to-pin compatible with previous generations to ease migration from legacy devices.

To simplify Wi-Fi to cloud connectivity, Microchip has also expanded its plug-and-play product line with new RNWF02 modules. These modules connect MCUs to a cloud platform using simple ASCII commands sent over a UART interface.

Secure connections, which are critical for Wi-Fi applications that send or receive data from the cloud, can be challenging to implement depending on the developer’s skill level. To ease this process, Microchip has integrated its Trust Platform into many of its Wi-Fi products. Trust&GO module variants are pre-provisioned for secure authentication with popular cloud services, including AWS® and Azure®, to streamline the process of network authentication.

Millions of Microchip Wi-Fi products are already powering industrial applications around the world, offering seamless integration, enhanced security, robust connectivity and long-term performance and reliability throughout their lifecycle.

Microchip’s Wi-Fi portfolio is supported by a comprehensive suite of development tools, application demos, evaluation boards and services. Additional services include free design checks to give developers the support they need to create high-quality products efficiently.

https://www.microchip.com

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New Shield from MIKROE expands NXP’s FRDM-MCXN947 dev board capabilities

Tue, Oct 15, 2024

MIKROE has launched Click Shield for FRDM-MCXN947, a versatile expansion device for the NXP development board. The shield provides three mikroBUS sockets, enabling designers to prototype and develop using multiple Click boards. MIKROE releases one new Click board nearly every day: currently there are over 1700 of the compact add-on boards to choose from across categories such as: Audio & Voice; Clock & Timing; Display & LED; HMI; Interface; Mixed Signal; Motor Control; Power Management; Sensors; Storage and Wireless Connectivity.
NXP’s FRDM-MCXN947 is a powerful microcontroller board based on the MCX N947 microcontroller. It integrates the Arm Cortex-M33 TrustZone core, CoolFlux BSP32, and PowerQuad DSP Co-processor, operating at 150MHz. Ideal for consumer IoT, smart appliances, industrial control, and automotive accessories, it features Hi-Speed USB, CAN 2.0, and 10/100 Ethernet. The board includes an on-board MCU-Link debugger, FlexI/O for LCD control, and dual-bank flash for read-while-write operations, supporting large external serial memory configurations.
Comments Nebojsa Matic, CEO of MIKROE: “By providing multiple connection points for Click boards, Click Shield for FRDM-MCXN947 facilitates rapid prototyping and development of complex electronic systems. It has been specifically designed to work seamlessly with the FRDM-MCXN947 development board, and includes a GND hook for testing purposes, providing a convenient and reliable way to perform diagnostics.”
The NXP FRDM-MCXN947 development board and expansion shield with Click boards suit a wide variety of applications such as consumer IoT, smart appliances, industrial control, and automotive accessories. For example, designers could develop smart home, industrial automation, or wearable IoT devices by combining sensors, actuators, and wireless connectivity. They could collect and process data from various sensors using the Click Shield’s expansion capabilities. Or they could implement precise motor control applications leveraging the FRDM-MCXN947’s processing power and the Click Shield’s connectivity options.

https://www.mikroe.com

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New single board computer from Kontron with 13th Gen Intel Core U-Series processors

Tue, Oct 15, 2024

Kontron, has announced the latest generation of its 3.5”-SBC product family, named 3.5”-SBC-RPL. The 3.5”-SBC-RPL is a single board computer driven by hybrid-core 13th Gen Intel Core U-Series and Intel U-Series Processors (codenamed Raptor Lake U) which enable an optimal synergy between performance and efficiency. With integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, AI acceleration features and real-time computing capability on the same chip, the board can help system developers build a compact edge system that requires excellent graphics, efficient computing, real-time processing and / or AI acceleration for a variety of applications, such as smart manufacturing, healthcare, retail and smart city. Samples will be available to customers in January 2025.

The 3.5”-SBC-RPL leverages hybrid computing architecture, combining performance and efficiency cores within the 13th Gen Intel Core U-Series processors. This enables intelligent workload management by assigning demanding tasks to performance cores and energy-efficient tasks to efficiency cores, optimising performance per watt. The design allows smaller thermal solutions and is ideal for compact systems. The new 3.5”-SBC-RPL Single Board Computer offer multiple embedded controller features and uses advanced technology components.

With integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics, the 3.5”-SBC-RPL supports 8K resolution at 60 fps via two DisplayPort connectors. It can extend to four displays through additional ports, ideal for video walls and control rooms. An eDP/LVDS combo connector is available for all-in-one systems. The GPU supports up to 96 execution units, enabling AI acceleration for edge devices, alongside Intel Deep Learning Boost and Intel® Gaussian & Neural Accelerator 3.0, delivering cost- and power-efficient AI computing.

The board incorporates two DDR5 SO-DIMM sockets (up to 5200 MHz), dual 2.5 GbE LAN Intel i226 controllers, and four USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectors (10 Gbps). Certain variants feature Intel Time Coordinated Computing (TCC) and IEEE 802.1 Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), ensuring real-time, low-latency communication within and between systems, critical for real-time AI processing. The configurable TDP (12 W to 28 W) allows flexibility in system design based on cooling solutions.

The 3.5”-SBC-RPL offers three M.2 slots for SSD, WLAN, Bluetooth, WWAN, and other expansions. A board-to-board connector allows developers to add one of the expansion boards, named 3.5″-eIO, for extra I/O ports or features, including additional display (DP & HDMI) connectors and LAN ports. The 3.5″-eIOs support both standard and industrial operating temperature ranges and are compatible with the 3.5”-SBC-RPL, 3.5”-SBC-ADN, 3.5”-SBC-AML as well as previous generations the 3.5″-SBC-EKL and the 3.5″-SBC-TGL. 3.5”-eIO Series expansion boards enable faster time-to-market and reduced development costs.

Designed for harsh environments, the 3.5”-SBC-RPL supports a wide input voltage range (9 V to 36 V) for unstable power conditions and integrates a TPM 2.0 security chip for enhanced hardware-level security, protecting user data, network access, and ensuring operational integrity against cyber threats. Some variants are designed for continuous operation (24/7) under harsh operating conditions and on high system load.
Seven variants are available, in both industrial-grade (-40 °C to 85 °C) and commercial-grade (0 °C to 60 °C) temperature ranges, using Intel® Core™ i7, i5, i3, and U300E processors.

3.5”-SBC-RPL ensures an extended long-term availability of up to 10 years from the release date, due to embedded key components and is CE, FCC, ICES, UKCA & UR (UL Recognised) compliant.

https://www.kontron.com

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Infineon’s EiceDRIVER 125 V high-side gate driver protects battery-driven applications

Thu, Oct 10, 2024

In battery-powered applications such as motor drives and switched-mode power supplies (SMPS), the power supply architecture often requires that a module can be disconnected from the main supply rail when a fault occurs in that module. To achieve this functionality, it is common to use high-side disconnect switches (e.g. MOSFETs) to prevent a load short circuit from affecting the battery. Infineon has now introduced the EiceDRIVER 1EDL8011, a high-side gate driver designed to protect battery-powered applications such as cordless power tools, robotics, e-bikes, and vacuum cleaners in the event of a fault.
The device provides fast turn-on and turn-off of high-side N-channel MOSFETs with its high gate current capabilities. It consists of an integrated charge pump with an external capacitor to provide strong start-up. The internal charge pump provides the MOSFET gate voltage when the operating input voltage is low. The gate driver IC manages inrush current and provides fault protection. Under-voltage Lockout (UVLO) protection at input voltage prevents the device from operating under hazardous conditions. The driver is available in a DSO-8 package, making it ideal for space-constrained designs. It includes overcurrent protection (OCP), adjustable current setting threshold, time delay and a safe start-up mechanism with flexible blanking during MOSFET turn-on transitions.
The 1EDL8011 has a wide operating voltage range of 8 V to 125 V and a high gate sinking current of up to 1 A, allowing for efficient switching. Additionally, the product has an extremely low off-mode quiescent current of 1 µA, helping to minimise power consumption in sleep mode. The device also includes a V DS sense feature that is used to trigger an overcurrent shutdown by monitoring the drain-to-source voltage of the disconnect MOSFET.

Infineon will be showcasing a demo featuring the 1EDL8011 at its global technology forum OktoberTech 2024 in Silicon Valley on 17 October.

Availability
The 1EDL8011 is available now. Further information can be found at https://www.infineon.com/1edl8011.

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