Low power TCXO accelerates development through customisation

MEMS timing specialist, SiTime, announces the SiT5008 temperature-compensated silicon MEMS oscillator (TCXO). It is intended for connected consumer and IoT devices such as internet-connected audio-video, over-the-top streaming devices, industrial smart meters, and other devices that use low power wireless connectivity.

The SiT5008 offers programmable features, high reliability, and environmental resilience in a small package.

It is also an example of SiTime’s rapid release strategy, where the company develops up to 15 product derivatives from a single base platform.

“Each derivative has customised features and solves unique timing problems for customers,” explained Piyush Sevalia, executive vice president of marketing of SiTime.

The small, low power SiT5008 MEMS TCXO delivers any frequency between 10 and 60MHz accurate to six decimals and exhibits ±2 ppm to ±10 ppm frequency stability.

The TCXO has an LVCMOS output and an operating temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees C. It has a low power consumption of 3.5mA typical at 1.8V and features a standby mode for longer battery life.

The SiT5008 MEMS TCXO is supplied in an industry-standard 2.5 x 2.0mm package and is 100 per cent pin-compatible with quartz devices.

It is also RoHS and REACH-compliant, Pb-free, halogen-free, and antimony-free.

The SiT5008 TCXO is available in production now.

SiTime is a market leader in silicon MEMS timing. Its programmable solutions offer a rich feature set that enables customers to differentiate their products with higher performance, smaller size, lower power, and better reliability. The company has shipped over two billion devices.

http://www.sitime.com

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PCIe board brings AI to the edge

Combining the Flex Logix InferX X1 edge inference accelerator chip with Winbond Electronics’ LPDDR4X DRAM, the former’s half-height, half-length PCIe embedded processor board is designed for demanding artificial intelligence (AI) applications, such as object recognition delivered via edge servers and gateways.

The Winbond LPDDR4X chip is paired with Flex Logix’s InferX X1 edge inference accelerator chip, which is based on an architecture that features arrays of reconfigurable Tensor processors. According to the company, this provides higher throughput and lower latency at lower cost than any other existing AI edge computing when processing complex neural networking algorithms such as YOLOv3 or Full Accuracy Winograd.

To support the InferX X1’s 7.5Terra operations per second (maximum) performance, the W66CQ2NQUAHJ 4Gbit LPDDR4X DRAM offers a maximum data rate of 4267Mbits per second at a maximum clock rate of 2133MHz. To enable use in battery-powered systems and other power-constrained applications, the W66 series device operates in active mode from 1.8V or 1.1V power rails, and from a 0.6V supply in quiescent mode. It offers power saving features including partial array self-refresh.

The 4Gbit W66CQ2NQUAHJ is comprised of two 2Gbit dies in a two-channel configuration. Each die is organised into eight internal banks which support concurrent operation.

Flex Logix’s half-height, half-length PCIe embedded processor board takes advantage of Flex Logix’s architecture which includes reconfigurable optimised data paths which reduce the traffic between the processor and DRAM, to increase throughput and reduce latency.

According to Robert Chang, technology executive of DRAM product marketing at Winbond:  “The price/performance advantage of using InferX with our LPDDR4X chip has the potential to significantly expand AI applications by finally bringing inference capabilities to the mass market.”

Dana McCarty, vice president of sales and marketing for Flex Logix’s AI inference products agreed: “The combination of the unique InferX X1 processor and Winbond’s high-bandwidth LPDDR4X chip sets a new benchmark in edge AI performance. Now for the first time, affordable edge computing systems can implement complex neural networking algorithms to achieve high accuracy in object detection and image recognition even when processing data-intensive high-definition video streams.”

https://flex-logix.com

http://www.winbond.com

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SiP integrates cellular and GNSS technology

Swiss positioning and wireless communication specialist, u-blox, has integrated low power wide area (LPWA) connectivity and a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology into a small system in package (SiP) form factor. The Alex-R5 is a miniature cellular module designed for size-constrained asset tracking, wearable and healthcare applications.

It features the secure u-blox UBX-R5 LTE-M / NB-IoT chipset with Secure Cloud functionality and the u-blox M8 GNSS chip for location accuracy.

Alex-R5 has a small footprint of 14 x 14mm footprint. The SiP design reduces its size by half, compared to the functionally equivalent u-blox SARA-R5 module.

Its 23dBm cellular transmission power guarantees that end devices operate effectively in all signal conditions, even at cell edges, underground, or in other challenging scenarios. A dedicated GNSS antenna interface enables fully independent, simultaneous operation of the u-blox M8 GNSS chip, matching the performance of a stand-alone u-blox M8 module. To further enhance positioning, there is the u-blox IoT Location-as-a-Service with CellLocate and AssistNow (online, offline, and autonomous).

Alex-R5 is optimised for power-sensitive and battery-dependent applications, says u-blox, including wearables and connected medical devices. The lower power modes of the u-blox UBX-R5 and UBX-M8 chipsets give users options to balance power consumption and performance using GNSS Super-E mode.

The rugged SiP construction is suitable for harsh environments, where moisture or vibration would be a concern for conventional modules, says u-blox. Alex-R5 is rated at moisture sensitivity level 3 (MSL 3), offering reduced handling and device production complexity.

u-blox guarantees long-term device availability and provides lifetime support for the entire platform, down to the chipset level. Secure Cloud functionality supporting IoT-Security-as-a-Service based on an internal, hardware-based secure element enables a pre-shared key management system specifically designed for LPWA devices.

In addition, Alex-R5 futureproofs IoT devices and networks by enabling customers to software upgrade deployed devices for compatibility with 5G networks in a seamless transition as 5G networks are rolled out by mobile operators.

Engineering samples of the Alex-R5 SiP will be available by Q1, 2021.

http://www.u-blox.com

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STMicroelectronics simplifies portable GNSS receiver design

Claimed to simplify design and save real estate in global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers, the BPF8089-01SC6 RF is an integrated impedance-matching and protection IC from STMicroelectronics.

Integrating the impedance-matching and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuitry, typically implemented using discrete components, results in a much smaller footprint, says STMicroelectronics.

The BPF8089-01SC6 provides a 50 Ohm matched interface between the receiver’s antenna and low noise amplifier (LNA), and is ready to use with ST’s STA8089 and STA8090 LNAs. The compact, integrated device typically replaces a matching network containing up to five capacitors, resistors, and inductors, as well as two discrete protection devices. Designers can also leverage PCB-track specifications provided in the device datasheet for optimal performance.

The ESD protection provided complies with IEC 61000-4-2 (C = 150pF, R = 330Ω) and exceeds level 4: 8kV for contact discharge and 15kV for air discharge. The device also withstands 2kV pulse voltage in accordance with MIL STD 883C (C = 100pF, R = 1.5 kOhm).

The BPF8089-01SC6 is suitable for use in portable satellite receivers for GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, and QZSS constellations, which may be used in a number of applications including consumer satellite navigation, radio base stations, drones, and tracking of assets or livestock.

The IC is part of ST’s ASIP (Application Specific Integrated Passives) product range. It is housed in a SOT23-6L package that is compatible with automatic optical inspection. It is in production now.

http://www.st.com

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