STMicroelectronics claims first prize in race for G3-PLC hybrid comms chipset

The G3-PLC Hybrid specification is intended for seamless connectivity over powerline and wireless media. STMicroelectronics claims that its ST8500 and S2-LP chipset is the first to be certified according to the G3-PLC Hybrid communication standard.

The G3-PLC Hybrid specification allows smart-grid, smart-city, industrial, and IoT equipment to select the best available wireless or powerline channel at any time, automatically and dynamically, according to network conditions. As well as ensuring superior coverage, reliability, and scalability, it also allows cost-efficient system operation and enables new use cases, explains ST.

The hybrid chipset was introduced in 2020 and has completed the latest G3-PLC certification scheme, published in March 2021, which incorporates the Hybrid profile tests.

The certified chipset combines the ST8500 programmable multi-protocol powerline communication system on chip (SoC) and STLD1 line driver with ST’s S2-LP low-power sub-GHz radio transceiver.

Based on 6LowPAN and IPv6 and combining RF connectivity with the native G3-PLC protocol stack, the ST8500 SoC consumes less than 100mW in receive mode, in line with specifications to minimise the grid load imposed by new smart meters. It contains a high-performance DSP for real-time protocol processing and an Arm Cortex-M4F core for upper-layer processing and system management. Both the DSP and Arm core have their own code and data SRAM on-chip. Peripherals include an integrated 128/256-bit AES cryptographic engine. The analogue front end (AFE) for connecting to the STLD1 line driver is also integrated. The STLD1 communicates reliably, even across noisy power cables and with low impedance, with high drive capability and high linearity, says ST.

The S2-LP is a low power RF transceiver, intended for RF wireless applications in the sub-1GHz band. It is designed to operate in both the license-free ISM and SRD frequency bands at 433, 512, 868, and 920MHz, and can be programmed to operate at additional frequencies in the 413 to 479MHz, 452 to 27MHz, 826 to 958MHz, and 904 to1055MHz bands. The transceiver allows an RF-link budget greater than 140dB for long communication ranges and meets radio equipment regulations in territories worldwide including Europe, North America, China, and Japan. ST provides companion integrated balun/filter chips for the S2-LP that simplify antenna-connection circuitry and save PCB area in space-constrained applications.

The SoC’s programmability enables a software-defined implementation capable of supporting a broad portfolio of powerline protocol stacks, in worldwide frequency bands such as CENELEC and FCC, ST adds.

The ST8500 powerline communication SoC platform is used in smart metering, smart industrial and infrastructure applications. In addition to the chipset’s use in the smart grid market, ST’s hardware and firmware solution has been selected to power the official G3-PLC Alliance RF certification testing equipment.

The ST8500 SoC is packaged as a 7.0 x 7.0 x 1.0mm QFN56. The STLD1 and S2-LP are each packaged as 4.0 x 4.0 x 1.0mm QFN24. All devices are in full production.

https://www.st.com

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Small regulator increases efficiency for asset tracking

Maxim Integrated has added the Continua MAX38889 2.5 to 5.5V, 3A reversible buck/boost regulator to its Continua family of back up regulators. According to Maxim, system architects seeking back up power using super capacitor or other energy sources can capitalise on the high efficiency and small size of the Continua MAX38889. It is claimed to deliver the industry’s tightest output regulation of 2.5 per cent to support critical applications that demand high accuracy.

The MAX38889 features 94 per cent peak efficiency, nine per cent higher than the closest competing solution, says Maxim. This allows it to support longer back up time. It is also one third the size for integration into space constrained designs.

In applications such as smart utility meters or automotive dashboard cameras, the MAX38889 Continua regulator operates in buck mode to charge a back up power source, such as a super capacitor. When there is no mains power, the regulator reverses direction automatically, boosting the super capacitor voltage to power the system, until mains power is restored

At 218mm2, the MAX38889 is 64 per cent smaller than the closest competitor, which measures 606mm², allowing designers to reduce component count, cut board space and save bill of materials (BoM) cost. Smaller size also makes it easier to integrate into new and existing designs with tight space constraints. The MAX38889 regulates back up power for both portable and non-portable applications, such as retail price scanners and surveillance cameras, and others used in home, building, automotive, industrial automation and healthcare IoT.

Maxim Integrated also offers the MAX38889EVKIT# evaluation kit.

http://www.maximintegrated.com

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Wi-Fi module is secure for WPA2 and WPA3-Personal Wi-Fi standards

Supporting the latest standards for secure networking, the PAN9520 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n embedded Wi‑Fi module provides all the security features required for compliance with WPA2 and WPA3-Personal Wi-Fi security standards, says Panasonic Industry.

The PAN9520 is based on the Espressif ESP32-S2 microcontroller, which includes a high-performance 32-bit Xtensa LX7 CPU, a high sensitivity wireless radio, a baseband processor, boot loader and 320kbytes of SRAM. An encryption unit supports a range of security and encryption protocols, including CCMP, TKIP, WAPI, WEP, BIP, and AES.

It includes flash memory, a 40MHz crystal oscillator and a chip antenna. The integrated crystal is claimed to ensure connection performance over the entire temperature range and lifetime. Although believed to be one of the smallest modules on the market, it offers a rich set of peripherals, including full-speed USB OTG, SPI, UART, I²C.

The integrated module can be implemented quickly and easily into end-product designs – with or without a host controller, says the company. Panasonic Industry offers two variants with either 2Mbyte PSRAM and 4Mbyte flash or no PSRAM and 1Mbyte flash.

The module supports access point mode and station mode in parallel, allowing simultaneous Wi-Fi connections to smart devices and home network routers.

There is also the Espressif IoT integrated development framework (ESP-IDF), with which engineers can develop software for a range of applications, and access software examples which can be used to speed up development.

Panasonic develops technologies for wide-ranging applications in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, and B2B sectors. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2018 and operates 528 subsidiaries and 72 associated companies worldwide.

Panasonic Industry Europe is part of the global Panasonic Group and provides automotive and industrial products and services in Europe. It researches, develops, manufactures and supplies technologies and has a portfolio which covers key electronic components, devices and modules up to complete solutions and production equipment for manufacturing lines across a broad range of industries.

http://industry.panasonic.eu

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Fusion Design platform enables first-pass silicon for Armv9-based SoCs

Multiple SoC tape-outs at early adopters of the Arm Cortex-X2, Cortex-A710, and Cortex-A510 CPUs based on Arm’s Armv9 architecture, Arm Mali-G710 GPUs and Arm DynamIQ Shared Unit-110, have been announced. They were achieved using Synopsys’ EDA and IP, including Fusion Design Verification Continuum and DesignWare Interface IP.

The latest SoCs, developed for high end consumer devices, use Armv9’s performance and power efficiency enhancements and jointly developed flows and methodologies targeting the latest 5nm, 4nm and 3nm process technologies.

The EDA tools and IP provide designers with the leading, SoC-centric, and power-first software-to-silicon solution, says Synopsys, to hasten the achievement of the maximum performance per Watt across various use cases, including specialised artificial intelligence (AI), digital signal processing (DSP) and virtual and augmented reality (XR) workloads which are expected to be broadly deployed in next generation consumer devices.

“Based on the Armv9 architecture, the Arm Total Compute solution is designed to deliver a step-change in compute performance and efficiency while providing the levels of native security and trust needed in an increasingly data-centric and connected world,” said Paul Williamson, senior vice president and general manager, Client Line of Business, Arm.

Designers creating Armv9-based SoCs for a range of markets, including smartphones, laptops, PCs, digital TVs, wearables, and augmented- and virtual-reality applications, select Synopsys’ portfolio of integrated digital, verification and interface IP solutions to achieve optimum differentiation and the fastest time-to-market, says the company.

“Data is becoming an ever-increasing and important currency in this knowledge-driven world, and its timely, efficient and secure processing is paramount in shaping a safe, information-leveraged future,” said Shankar Krishnamoorthy, general manager of the Digital Design Group at Synopsys. “Our broad portfolio of optimised design, verification, IP, software security and software quality solutions have been aggressively co-optimised with Arm to enable a new wave of high-value applications based on the Armv9 architecture, establishing the new benchmark for trustworthy, power-centric performance.”

According to Synopsys, the Fusion Design Platform delivers unprecedented full-flow quality-of-results and time-to-results. Fusion Technology redefines conventional EDA tool boundaries – test, synthesis, place-and-route, and signoff – by sharing common, best-in-class engines, enabling broad-flow optimisations and wide-ranging margin reduction for performance per Watt and time to results.

Early adopters of Arm’s Armv9 mobile solution are using Synopsys’ Verification Continuum Platform solutions optimised for Arm, including Virtualizer Development Kit (VDK) with Arm Fast Models for Cortex-X2, Cortex-A710, Cortex-A510 CPUs and Mali-G710 GPUs, VCS simulation, Verdi for hardware and software debug, Verification IP for the latest Arm AMBA interconnect, ZeBu Server and HAPS hardware to accelerate hardware-software development and power and performance validation to reduce time-to-market.

The DesignWare Interface IP portfolio provides the performance, power efficiency, security and real-time connectivity for Arm-based systems implementing the latest Cortex CPUs and Mali GPUs. Synopsys’ IP portfolio of controllers and PHYs supporting the latest protocols such as PCI Express, DDR, MIPI and USB, is optimised for the rapid development of Arm-based SoCs.

Synopsys QuickStart Implementation Kits (QiKs) include implementation scripts and reference guides and enable early adopters to accelerate time-to-market and achieve their demanding performance per Watt targets.

http://www.synopsys.com

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