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Sfera Labs Extends Industrial Support for Raspberry Pi CM4S

Tue, Dec 12, 2023

Sfera Labs, has extended the capabilities of its Iono family of industrial I/O modules with the announcement that the established and popular Iono Pi Max is available with a Raspberry Pi CM4S core. The combination of the latest core and a variety of integrated features simplifies the design and implementation of rugged and reliable control systems for industrial, commercial and residential applications.

The Iono Pi Max integrates the CM4S core with all of the digital and analog input and output lines, power relays and support for standard interfaces expected of modern PLCs. Backward compatibility with the Raspberry Pi CM3+ core protects investment in existing designs while allowing designers to improve performance and extend system functionality.

Designed for deeply embedded applications, Raspberry Pi CM4S incorporates a 1.5GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 processor (upgraded from the Cortex-A53 @ 1.2GHz of the CM3+), 1GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM (offering significantly greater bandwidth and power efficiency than the LPDDR2 on the CM3+) and has an extended operating temperature range (-20°C – +85°C). With Iono Pi Max, Sfera Labs has harnessed the power of this compact solution to create a versatile industrial I/O module that can be easily customised and optimised to meet the needs of target applications.

“The announcement of an Iono Pi Max with a CM4S core is the latest example of how Sfera Labs is using the Raspberry Pi platform to develop powerful, flexible and truly open solutions that support the rapid deployment and simplified management of control and monitoring systems across a variety of applications,” says Ulderico Arcidiaco, Sfera Labs CEO.

The CE/FCC/IC-compliant module incorporates digital and analog I/O, NO/NC relays, UPS support, RS-232, RS-485 and CAN interfaces, dual SD card, RTC, a hardware watchdog and a secure element chip. Target applications range from data acquisition, MES, building automation, access control and environmental monitoring.

Fully compatible with the toolsets, programming languages and development frameworks available for Raspberry Pi, developers can make use of a vast array of third-party software resources to quickly develop Iono Pi Max-based solutions.

About Sfera Labs
Sfera Labs delivers professional solutions for industrial automation, IoT, IIoT, and edge computing based on open source technologies: industrial Raspberry Pi servers, Arduino PLC modules, programmable environmental sensors, as well as OEM embedded systems products and services.

Sfera Labs technology is used in process control, home & building automation, predictive maintenance, energy management, access control, and fleet management offering industrial-grade certifications and standards for seamless integration between modern platforms (AWS IoT, Azure, Google Cloud, openHAB, NodeRED), industrial software (CODESYS, OpenPLC), and standard protocols (ModBus, CAN, Wiegand, MQTT).

Sfera Labs also offers OEM solutions as well as custom product design and branding, and software development services. The company is dedicated to delivering high-quality, innovative, flexible solutions to meet the requirements of the modern industrial automation market. Visit Sfera Labs at http://www.sferalabs.cc.

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ADLINK introduces COM-Express Type 7 module

Thu, Dec 07, 2023

ADLINK has announces the launch of its Express-VR7 module with up to 8 cores at 15W, 45W powered by AMD Ryzen Embedded V3000. The COM-Express Basic size Type 7 module boasts as a go-to solution for various mission-critical data processing and networking applications at 15W, 45W TDP.

“It is evident that edge networking demands have been trending towards more and more compact, fanless, power-efficient designs that can withstand normal to harsh environments, “said Lauryn Hsu, Senior Product Manager at ADLINK COM. “Blending AMD ‘Zen 3’ high-performance architecture with topnotch energy efficiency and industrial-grade reliability, Express-VR7 strikes the perfect balance between performance and power consumption in constant networking and edge systems.”

“We are excited to collaborate with ADLINK on its newest Express VR7 module powered by our AMD Ryzen™ Embedded V3000 processor,” said David Rosado, senior product marketing manager, Embedded Processors Group at AMD. “With its combination of high-performance and power efficiency, the Ryzen Embedded V3000 is a great addition to the Express VR7 module especially for developers who require a robust Computer-on-Module solution with advanced features for edge computing.”

Integrating 14x PCIe Gen4 lanes and 2x10G Ethernet interfaces that are backplane KR, copper, and fibre optic compatible, and is available with extreme temperature option (-40°C to 85°C), the ADLINK Express-VR7 module can realize wide-ranging edge networking innovations, such as edge networking equipment, 5G infrastructure at the edge, video storage analytics, intelligent surveillance, and industrial automation and control.

ADLINK is also working to provide I-Pi development kits based on the Express-VR7 module for out-of-the-box-ready prototyping and referencing.
https://www.adlinktech.com

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Renesas unveils the first generation of 32-bit RISC-V CPU core

Fri, Dec 01, 2023

Renesas has announced that it has designed and tested a 32-bit CPU core based on the open-standard RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA). Renesas is among the first in the industry to independently develop a CPU core for the 32-bit general-purpose RISC-V market, providing an open and flexible platform for IoT, consumer electronics, healthcare and industrial systems. The new RISC-V CPU core will complement Renesas’ existing IP portfolio of 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs), including the proprietary RX Family and the RA Family based on the Arm Cortex-M architecture.

RISC-V is an open ISA which is quickly gaining popularity in the semiconductor industry, due to its flexibility, scalability, power efficiency and open ecosystem. While many MCU providers have recently created joint investment alliances to accelerate their development of RISC-V products, Renesas has already developed a new RISC-V core on its own. This versatile CPU can serve as a main application controller, a complementary secondary core in SoCs, on-chip subsystems, or even in deeply embedded ASSPs. This positions Renesas as a leader in the emerging RISC-V market, following previous introductions of its 32-bit voice-control and motor-control ASSP devices, as well as the RZ/Five 64-bit general purpose microprocessors (MPUs), which were built on CPU cores developed by Andes Technology Corp.

“Renesas takes pride in offering embedded processing solutions for the broadest range of customers and applications,” said Daryl Khoo, Vice President of the IoT Platform Division at Renesas. “This new core extends our leadership in the RISC-V market and uniquely positions us to deliver more solutions that accommodate a diverse range of requirements.”

“We congratulate Renesas on achieving its recent milestone in 32-bit RISC-V MCU architecture development,” said Calista Redmond, CEO at RISC-V International. “This achievement exemplifies how RISC-V ecosystem partners, such as Renesas, are rapidly advancing RISC-V innovation. Our RISC-V community now spans 70 countries with more than 4,000 members, and we eagerly anticipate further innovations emerging from this dynamic, expanding market.”

The Renesas RISC-V CPU achieves an impressive 3.27 CoreMark/MHz performance, outperforming similar architectures on the market. It includes extensions to improve performance, while reducing code size.
Renesas is sampling devices based on the new core to select customers, with plans to launch its first RISC-V-based MCU and associated development tools in Q1 2024. Details of the new MCU will be published at that time. More information about RISC-V solutions is available at: renesas.com/risc-v.

https://www.renesas.com/

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Microchip unveils new standard of enhanced code security with the PIC18-Q24 family of MCUs

Tue, Nov 28, 2023

More and more everyday items are connected to the cloud—from cellphones and vehicles to smart thermostats and home appliances. With this rise in connectivity, the need for advanced security measures at the chip level, protecting both firmware and data, is critical. To defend against current and ever-expanding security threats, Microchip has launched the PIC18-Q24 family of MCUs.

To counter the threat of maliciously reprogramming a device in an embedded system, PIC18-Q24 MCUs introduce the programming and debugging interface disable (PDID) feature. When enabled, this enhanced code protection feature is designed to lock out access to the programming/debugging interface and block unauthorised attempts to read, modify or erase firmware.

“System security is only as strong as its weakest link. Any programmable component can be vulnerable, and it is essential to implement enhanced protection features to prevent potential hacks,” said Greg Robinson, corporate vice president of Microchip’s 8-bit MCU business unit. “The PIC18-Q24 family of MCUs from Microchip are designed with advanced security in the forefront, to help customers combat threats at the system’s foundation.”

Because many secure systems often connect and communicate with a wide variety of sensors, memory chips and processors, the PIC18-Q24 MCUs feature Multi-Voltage I/O (MVIO). This feature eliminates the need for external level shifters and allows the MCUs to interface with digital inputs or outputs at different operating voltages. In addition to reducing board complexity and Bill of Material (BOM) cost, MVIO makes PIC18-Q24 MCUs especially well-suited as system management processors, performing monitoring and telemetry for a larger processor. These seemingly routine tasks are typically most vulnerable to potential hackers as they try to gain access to embedded systems.

The PIC18-Q24 family is also enabled with the option to have an immutable bootloader for applications that want a secure way to upgrade firmware.

https://www.microchip.com

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Sfera Labs Extends Industrial Support for Raspberry Pi CM4S

ADLINK introduces COM-Express Type 7 module

Renesas unveils the first generation of 32-bit RISC-V CPU core

Microchip unveils new standard of enhanced code security with the PIC18-Q24 family of MCUs

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