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Mixed-signal RF converter caters for 4G LTE and 5G mmWave radios

Thu, Jun 13, 2019

A mixed-signal front-end (MxFE) RF data converter from Analog Devices combines analogue and digital signal processing (DSP) for wireless equipment such as 4G LTE and 5G millimeter-wave (mmWave) radios. The AD9081/2 MxFE platform allows manufacturers to install multi-band radios in the same footprint as single-band radios, which can triple call capacity of today’s 4G LTE basestations. The 1.2GHz channel bandwidth RF data converter also enables wireless carriers that have additional antennae to cell towers to meet the higher radio density and data rate requirements of emerging mmWave 5G, adds Analog Devices.

The AD9081 and AD9082 provide software configurability to allow designers to customise radios as frequency translation and filtering moves to the digital domain.

The AD9081 and AD9082 MxFE converters integrate eight and six RF data converters, respectively, which are manufactured using 28nm CMOS process technology.

The MxFE platform processes more of the RF spectrum band and embeds DSP functions on-chip to enable the user to configure the programmable filters and digital up and down conversion blocks to meet specific radio signal bandwidth requirements. This results in a 10X power reduction compared to architectures that perform RF conversion and filtering on the FPGA, while freeing up valuable processor resources or allowing designers to use a more cost-effective FPGA.

Both MxFE options achieve the industry’s widest instantaneous signal bandwidth (up to 2.4 GHz), according to Analog Devices. This simplifies hardware design by reducing the number of frequency translation stages and relaxing filter requirements. This level of integration lowers chip count and yields a 60 per cent reduction in PCB area compared to alternative devices, adds the company.

The MxFE platform meets the needs of other wide-bandwidth applications in 5G test and measurement equipment, broadband cable video streaming, multi-antenna phased array radar systems and low-earth-orbit satellite networks, confirms Analog Devices.

The AD9081 will be available as either a quad 12-bit, 4Gsamples per second and quad 16-bit 12Gsamples per second ADC in 324-BGA thermally enhanced packages. Sampling will begin in September, with full production scheduled for March 2020.

The AD9082 will be available as a dual 12-bit, 4Gsamples per second and quad 16-bit 12Gsamples per second ADC in the same package. Sampling will begin in September with full production scheduled for December 2019.

https://www.analog.com

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Hammond prepares for industry 4.0 with IP68 1554 and 1555 enclosures

Wed, Jun 12, 2019

Two sealed enclosure families from Hammond Electronics have been extended with six new size options. The company has added 36 new configurations to its popular industry 4.0 1554 and 1555 sealed enclosure families.

The enclosures are available in ABS or polycarbonate with styled, opaque, clear or smoked lids. The six new sizes are 105 x 105 x 60mm and 90 x 140 x 60mm, 140 x 140 x 60mm, 90 x 180 x 60mm,  180 x 180 x 60mm and 180 x 180 x 90mm. This give a total of 150 sizes and lid options available as standard.

The company has also announced that the polycarbonate versions now have cUL and UL 508A listing and are tested to IP68 (NEMA Type 4, 4X, 6, 6P, 12 and 13). Sealing is via a tongue and groove construction and a one-piece UL listed silicone gasket.

All versions have a RAL7035 grey base. The polycarbonate range is available with a plain or styled opaque lid, a clear lid or a smoked lid. The ABS units have a plain or styled opaque grey lid which is secured with self-captivated M4 stainless steel machine screws, located outside the sealed area and threaded into integral stainless-steel bushings to preserve the sealing integrity after repetitive assembly and disassembly.

Internal features vary with size. M3 threaded brass inserts and/or standoffs for PCB or inner panel mounting and vertical PCB guides are provided in all but the smallest B size. DIN rail mounting tabs are moulded into most sizes.

The polycarbonate versions are UV stabilised for outdoor use. The grey material has a UL94-5VA flammability rating, the clear and smoked lids are rated UL94V-0. The ABS versions are rated UL94-HB.

Hammond specialises in manufacturing small plastic, die-cast and metal enclosures for use in the electronics, electrical and allied industries.

http://www.hammondmfg.com

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RS Components saves space with Hirose high-speed industrial connector

Fri, Jun 07, 2019

Installation space can be reduced by up to 75 per cent, using the Hirose ix Industrial I/O connectors, now available from RS Components.

Manufactured by Hirose Electric, the ix Industrial series is designed for space-constrained applications and can support I/O signal transmission speeds of up to 10 Gigabits per second.

The ix Industrial series is suitable for a range of industrial applications including factory automation controllers, industrial robotics, servo amplifiers, PLCs and security systems. In addition to reducing installation space, compared with RJ45 based solutions, the Hirose connector supports CAT5e (1Gbit per second) and CAT6A (10Gbits per second) cabling and features a rugged EMI and ESD shielding design.

Other features include availability with two keying codes for Ethernet and non-Ethernet applications and compliance with the IEC PAS 61076-3-124 standard. Electrical characteristics are a current rating of 1.5A for all 10 contacts, with 3A capability on pins one, two, six and seven, voltage rating of 50V, 5000 mating cycles; and an operating temperature of from –40 up to +85 degrees C.

The connector receptacle can be mounted in parallel with a pitch distance of only 10mm, which enables close side-by-side positioning of multiple connectors on a single PCB. The receptacle shell is PCB-mounted via through-hole solder legs to enhance PCB retention, and the wire-termination unit and cable clamp are integrated into a single plug shell.

The snap-in I/O plug connector offers a positive metal lock, which provides a clear tactile click to ensure secure mating.

The Hirose ix Industrial connector series is now shipping from RS in the EMEA region.

RS Components offers more than 500,000 industrial and electronics products, sourced from over 2,500 leading suppliers, and provides a range of value-added services to over one million customers. It has operations in 32 countries and ships more than 50,000 parcels a day.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/

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RX72M microcontrollers with EtherCAT support industrial applications

Fri, Jun 07, 2019

Renesas Electronics offers the RX72M group of RX microcontrollers featuring an EtherCAT slave controller for industrial Ethernet communication. The single-chip microcontroller has large memory capacities for compact industrial robots, programmable logic controllers, remote I/O, and industrial gateways that require control and communication functions such as compact industrial robots, programmable logic controllers, remote I/O, and industrial gateways.

The RX72M group achieves a 1396 CoreMark score at 240MHz as measured by EEMBC benchmarks and it is capable of application processing and EtherCAT communication. It combines a motor-control microcontroller with on-chip EtherCAT slave functions to reduce the circuit board area by approximately 50 per cent, compared with earlier devices and support miniaturisation in industrial equipment design.

The RX72M is the first RX MCU group to include an EtherCAT slave controller featuring the RX family’s highest SRAM capacity of 1Mbyte of SRAM and 4Mbyte of flash memory. It is also the first embedded double precision floating point unit (FPU) in an RX microcontroller.

The large-capacity SRAM allows the microcontrollers to run multiple memory-intensive middleware systems, such as TCP/IP, web servers, and file systems, at high speed without the use of external memory. It also supports future functional expansions, such as OPC United Architecture with no additional memory required. The on-board flash memory operates as two 2Mbyte banks, which enables stable operation of the end equipment, such as executing a program in one flash memory while simultaneously conducting background rewrites in the other flash memory.

Dedicated trigonometric function (sin, cos, arctan and hypot fucntions) accelerators and a register bank save function support precision motor control implementation. Encryption module and memory protection function in hardware to protect application systems from being copied without authorisation and support authentication.

Package options include 176-pin LQFP and 176-pin BGA configurations as well as the first 224-pin BGA package for RX microcontrollers for size-constrained designs.

Samples of the RX72M Group of MCUs are available now. Renesas will begin mass production orders starting September 2019.

https://www.renesas.com

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