Okdo adds Nvidia Jetson Nano to AI development suite

OKdo, part of Electrocomponents has added the Nvidia Jetson Nano developer kit to its offering. The Jetson Nano Developer Kit has support for desktop Linux and is compatible with many peripherals and accessories as well as ready-to-use projects and tutorials to help makers get started. According to the distributor, the Jetson platform brings artificial intelligence (AI) applications within the reach of makers, inventors, designers and engineers.

The Jetson Nano is an AI development kit is built on the same architecture and software that powers the world’s fastest supercomputers.  It also features Nvidia’s JetPack software development kit, which is built on Cuda-X and is a complete AI software stack with accelerated libraries for deep learning, computer vision, computer graphics and multimedia processing to support the Jetson Nano.

The compact yet powerful Jetson Nano platform delivers 472Gflops of computing performance, consuming as little as 5W, making it suitable for object detection, video search, face recognition and heat mapping. It supports high-resolution sensors, can process multiple sensors in parallel and has modern neural networks on each sensor stream. It complements many popular AI frameworks, for developers to integrate into products.

OKdo is focused solely on single board computing (SBC) and internet of things (IoT). Richard Curtin, global senior vice president of technology at OKdo, explained: “Inspiring people to create the next big thing is close to our hearts and we are hugely excited to announce this collaboration with Nvidia to make AI more accessible for engineers globally.”

The Jetson Nano Developer Kit can be used for developing AI-powered robots, drones, intelligent video analytics enabled-devices, AI IoT devices and other autonomous machines.

A key component of OKdo’s customer promise is building an accessible range around software, hardware, services and solutions.

The Jetson Nano Development Kit is available now from OKdo.  The company claims to be the first to be focused on meeting the rapidly evolving needs of SBC and IoT customers, from makers and entrepreneurs to industrial designers, educators and resellers.

http://www.OKdo.com

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Prototyping board simplifies IoT end point development

For rapid product development, Renesas has introduced the RL78/G14 Fast Prototyping Board. This inexpensive, function-rich board is designed to enable rapid product development for IoT endpoint equipment. Quicker development prototyping and lower costs allows users to respond to rapid changes in technology and market needs, and reduces the time to market window for new products, says the company. Renesas also introduced the RL78/G1D BLE Module Expansion Board, which users can combine with the new prototyping board to easily add Bluetooth Low Energy wireless communication functions.

The new prototyping board is based on the RL78/G14 microcontroller, which provides the richest set of functions in the low-power RL78 family. It is suitable for motor control in portable equipment and IoT sensors as well as a wide range of IoT endpoint equipment, such as home appliances, industrial equipment, building automation and healthcare equipment.

Previously, the RL78/G14 starter kit and target boards required an external emulator. There were additional costs associated with high performance versions. The RL78/G14 Fast Prototyping Board is priced to be affordable, says Renesas and has an on-board emulator circuit with the same functions as the E2 Emulator (E2 Lite), so the user does not have to purchase additional debugging tools. The board provides access to all of the RL78/G14 signal pins and includes Arduino and Pmod interfaces for easy functional expansion.

By combining a Semtech SX1261 or SX1262 LoRa transceiver with this prototyping board, it is possible to prototype for IoT sensor devices using wireless communication based on LoRa with extended period battery drive, advised Renesas. The company also provides circuit diagrams, parts lists and user manuals necessary to jump-start development, in addition to sample code and application notes related to these products.

The RL78/G14 is the most powerful microcontroller in the RL78 family, achieving a numerical processing performance of 51.2DMIPS at 32MHz. It includes up to 512kbyte of flash memory and up to 48kbyte of RAM. It provides functions such as timers and 8-bit DACs. In particular, it achieves the industry’s lowest levels of current drain, 66 microA/MHZ, when the CPU is operating and 240nA in standby mode. This microcontroller is optimal for battery-powered portable equipment and IoT sensor terminals, as well as a wide range of IoT endpoint equipment.

Both boards are available now.

http://www.renesas.com

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EERAM retains data despite a power loss

Microchip has introduced a family of serial peripheral interface (SPI) EERAM devices that it says offers system designers up to 25 per cent cost savings over the current serial non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) alternatives.

Serial EERAM is a standalone serial SRAM that includes shadow non-volatile back-up. The SPI EERAM family introduces four SPI densities to Microchip’s EERAM portfolio, ranging from 64kbit up to 1Mbit.

They can be used for applications that require repetitive task data-logging and which must be able to automatically restore content if power is disrupted during processing. Target applications range from smart meters to manufacturing lines.

Current low-density (64kbit to 1Mbit) NVRAMs used for these data logs are typically the highest price-per-bit memory in the resulting end products, notes Microchip.

The EERAM standalone non-volatile RAM uses the same SPI and I2C protocols as serial SRAM, enabling devices to retain SRAM content during power loss without using an external battery. All non-volatile parts are invisible to the user. When the device detects power going away, it automatically transfers the SRAM data to non-volatile storage, moving it back to the SRAM once power returns.

In manufacturing lines, for example, stations handle up to millions of tasks over their lifetimes and lost data during a task can require overhauling or discarding items. EERAMs automatically store SRAM content in these settings, allowing the manufacturing line to resume where the task was disrupted.

The primary reason EERAM is available at a lower price point is the use of standard CMOS and flash processes. As the highest volume and most widely used processes and can offer the best reliability and lowest cost in the industry, explains Microchip.

Alternatives such as ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) use a specialty process, which results in higher costs and unstable long-term supply, argues Microchip.

This EERAM family comes with Microchip’s customer-driven obsolescence practice, which helps ensure availability to customers for as long as needed.

The 48L640 (64kbit SPI), 48L256 (256kbit SPI), 48L512 (512kbit SPI) and 48LM01 (1Mbit SPI) devices are available in eight-pin SOIC, SOIJ and DFN packages in volume production.

http://www.microchip.com

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C-V2X/DSRC chipset is certified for US deployment

Israeli company, Autotalks has announced that its second generation vehicle to everything (V2X) chipsets are Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) -certified for secure C-V2X or DSRC (dedicated short range communications) deployment in the US.

Autotalks’ V2X chipsets achieved FIPS 140-2 security level 3 certification from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Its Craton2 and Secton embedded hardware security module (eHSM) is the first V2X HSM to achieve this certification.

FIPS 140-2 is a US government computer security standard that is used to approve cryptographic modules. The US Department of Transportation recommends level 3 certification for V2X HSM in order to prevent the theft of security credentials.

“This makes Autotalks chipsets the only truly secure C-V2X/DSRC chipsets which are ready for deployment in the US,” said Yaniv Sulkes, Autotalks’ vice president of business development and marketing in North America and Europe. “[The chipset] allows automakers to deploy Autotalks’ secure V2X chipset using either V2X technology, with the option to later change to another technology, thus eliminating risk of wrong technology selection.”

Autotalks’ chipset isolates V2X from the non-safety domains, to provide domain separation and security, scalability, and cost-optimisations of telematic control unit (TCU) deployments. The embedded HSM exceeds the secure storage size defined by US DOT V2X NPRM, assures access to secure assets only by authorised processes and includes crypto-agility for future-proof cyber defence.

Autotalks is a V2X chipset provider, and says it helps reduce collisions on roadways and improve mobility with its automotive qualified chipsets. The chipsets offer secure, global V2X communications designed for autonomous vehicles. The technology complements the information coming from other sensors, specifically in non-line-of-sight scenarios, rough weather, or poor lighting conditions. It significantly improves overall road safety, effectively coordinating vehicles, self-driving cars, motorcyclists and pedestrians.

http://www.auto-talks.com

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