DCM3717 targets data centres to deploy 48V for legacy 12V loads

Customers in data centre, automotive and industrial markets can quickly deploy high-performance 48V power delivery for legacy 12V loads while achieving significant power-system size, weight and efficiency benefits, using the DCM3717, says Vicor.

The regulated 48V to 12V converter operates from a 40 to 60V safety extra low voltage (SELV) input and is non-isolated. It provides a regulated output with a range of 10 to 13.5V, a continuous power rating of 750W and a peak efficiency of 97.3 per cent. It is provided in a surface mount converter in package (SM-ChiP) which measures 37 x 17 x 7.4mm.

The DCM3717 supports the recent Open Compute Project (OCP) Open Rack Standard V2.2 for distributed 48V server backplane architectures and the LV148 specification (48V automotive standard) for pure electric and hybrid vehicles. It also provides a regulated 48V to 12V option for downstream legacy 12V multiphase point of load (PoL) converters.

Customers who do not require regulation of the 12V supply can take advantage of the Vicor NBM2317, a 750W non-regulated 48V to 12V converter which is available in a smaller 23 x 17 x 7.4mm SM-ChiP. This has 40 per cent higher power density and higher efficiency at 97.5 per cent, said Vicor.

Vicor designs, develops, manufactures and markets modular power components and complete power systems based upon a portfolio of patented technologies.

Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, USA, Vicor sells its products to the power systems market, including enterprise and high-performance computing, industrial equipment and automation, telecommunications and network infrastructure, vehicles and transportation, aerospace and defence.

http://www.vicorpower.com

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NXP enhances Bluetooth microcontroller family

Bluetooth 5.0 long range capabilities and Bluetooth advertising channels have been added to NXP Semiconductors’ KW3x family of microcontrollers. The KW39, KW38 and KW37 microcontrollers extend the wireless microcontroller family.

They offer seamless migration with hardware, software and tools compatibility with the previous generation of devices, KW34, KW35 and KW36. The connectivity microcontrollers allow Bluetooth LE devices to communicate at distances of more than a mile and increase the amount of Bluetooth advertising channels and advertising data within the Bluetooth standard, says NXP.

The KW39, KW38 and KW37 wireless microcontrollers are designed with automotive and industry-grade hardware and software, along with robust serial communications with CAN-FD peripherals. They are suitable for automotive applications, such as keyless entry, sensors and wireless onboard diagnostic functions. They also enable industrial applications such as building control and monitoring, fire and safety, home and institutional healthcare, asset management and monitoring.

NXP claims that the KW39, KW38 and KW37 deliver best-in-class RF performance, with extreme RX sensitivity to allow for the long range Bluetooth LE connections. They achieve -105 dBM RX sensitivity with LE-coded 125kbits per second data rate, for example, allowing for connections in harsh environments and at extended distances. The radio supports up to eight simultaneous secure connections in any master/slave combination, allowing multiple authorised users to communicate with the device. The microcontroller’s data stream buffer allows the capture of radio parameters without stalling processor or DMA operations, enabling high-accuracy measurements needed for distance and angle approximations.

NXP’s MCUXpresso tool suite features a certified Bluetooth LE software stack with application programming interface calls. The KW39, KW38 and KW37 microcontrollers extend the previous generation of devices with hardware and software compatibilities for faster design cycles. In addition, the KW38 microcontroller integrated FlexCAN, enables seamless integration into an industrial CAN communication network or an automobile’s in-vehicles network. The FlexCAN module can support CAN’s flexible data rate (CAN FD) for increased bandwidth and lower latency. In addition, the KW38 integrated FlexCAN, enables seamless integration into an industrial CAN or an automobile’s in-vehicles network. The FlexCAN module can support CAN’s flexible data rate for increased bandwidth and lower latency.

The KW39, KW38 and KW37 wireless microcontrollers feature AEC-Q100 Grade 2 and industrial qualifications for exceptional durability and performance for safety-critical applications

RF transmit power and receive sensitivity enhancements, including -105dBm typical Bluetooth LE sensitivity in 125kbits per second, -98dBm typical Bluetooth LE sensitivity in 1Mbits per second, -101dBm typical generic FSK (at 250kbits per second) sensitivity and +5dBm maximum transmit output power provide an advanced link budget that helps ensure long range of communication and a high immunity to interference

The AES-128 accelerator is a true random number generator for fast encryption/decryption, using hardware security algorithms for network commissioning and transmission of supported protocols.

The microcontrollers are supplied in a 7.0 x 7.0mm wettable flanks 48HVQFN package with up to 512kbyte flash memory with ECC and 64kbyte SRAM, allowing space for protocol stacks, application profiles and custom user firmware.

http://www.nxp.com

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Signal conditioner IC targets industry 4.0, medical and IoT sensor applications

The latest addition to the sensor signal conditioner (SSC) range is the ZSSC3240. According to Renesas, it delivers high accuracy, sensitivity, and flexibility for sensor applications such as resistive pressure sensors and medical infra red thermometers. It is also claimed to deliver best-in-class performance and speed with up to 24 bits analogue to digital conversion (ADC) resolution.

The ZSSC3240 has a flexible sensor front end and a range of output interfaces, enabling the SSC to be used for nearly all types of resistive and absolute voltage sensor elements. Engineers can develop complete sensing platforms from a single SSC device, said Renesas. It is also small in size, for use in a variety of sensor-based devices for the industrial, consumer, and medical markets, including smart meters, continuous smart health monitors, factory automation devices, industrial pressure transmitters, HVAC sensors and weight scales.

Unlike micro-machined and silicon-based sensing elements which provide mostly non-linear and very small signals, which need to be converted into a linearised output, the ZSSC3240 SSC provides programmable, wide gain and quantisation functions, combined with powerful, high-order digital correction and linearisation algorithms, explained Renesas. High performance, and flexible sensor front end configuration and analogue output options enable sensor platform design using a single IC, allowing users to leverage the SSC cost effectively for a wide variety of sensor elements that have different characteristics.

The ZSSC3240 SSC has a high-gain analogue front end supporting up to 540V per Volt (V/V) and an integrated 26bit DSP for high-precision sensor calibration. Current loop output is 4.0 to 20 mA.

The ZSSC3240 SSC is available now in a 4.0 x 4.0mm, 24-lead QFN package. The SSC is also available in bare die format.

 http://www.renesas.com

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Picocom uses Arteris IP FlexNoC in 5G NR

Picocom has licensed Arteris’ FlexNoC Interconnect IP for use in its 5G new radio (5G NR) small cell, baseband SoC. It was chosen to enable the complex high-speed yet flexible design for open small cell radio access networks (RANs), says the company.

The network on a chip (NoC) was selected by Picocom to meet the evolving 5G NR standard for its silicon. “It is enabling us to manage our on-chip SoC bandwidth and complexity, whilst allowing us to retain design flexibility,” said, Yingbo Jiang, CEO of Picocom. “In addition, it has helped us reduce development time, a crucial achievement in the fast-paced 5G NR market.”

Will Robbins, vice president of silicon at Picocom, added that the Arteris IP is a key component and Arteris has provided technical support.

Semiconductor company, Picocom, designs and markets open RAN standard-compliant baseband SoCs and carrier-grade software products for 5G small cell infrastructure. The company was founded in 2018, and is headquartered in Hangzhou, China. It has R&D engineering sites in Beijing, China and Bristol, UK. Picocom is a member of the Small Cell Forum, O-RAN Alliance and Telecom Infra Project wireless industry associations.

Arteris IP provides network on chip (NoC) interconnect IP to accelerate SoC semiconductor assembly for a range of applications from artificial intelligence (AI) to automobiles, mobile phones, IoT, cameras, SSD controllers and servers for customers such as Mobileye, Samsung, Huawei / HiSilicon, Toshiba and NXP. Arteris IP products include the Ncore cache coherent and FlexNoC non-coherent interconnect IP, the CodaCache standalone last level cache, and optional Resilience Package (ISO 26262 functional safety), FlexNoC AI Package, and PIANO automated timing closure capabilities.

http://www.arteris.com

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