Zero-drift op amp provides EMI filtering

Meeting the needs of precision measurement in industrial control and factory automation, the MCP6V51 zero-drift operational amplifier (op amp) provides precision measurement and minimises the influence of high-frequency interference, claims Microchip. The MCP6V51 offers a wide operating range and on-chip EMI filters.

The so-called smart factory has led to an increase in the number of sensors that need to be monitored and the MCP6V51 amplifier is designed to provide accurate, stable data from a variety of sensors. Its self-correcting zero-drift architecture enables high DC precision, claims Microchip, providing a maximum offset of ±15 microV and only ±36 nanoV per degree C of maximum offset drift. The MCP6V51 supports a wide operating voltage range – from 4.5 to 45V, suitable for factory automation, process control and building automation applications.

The increasing numbers of wireless sensors and wireless capabilities raises high frequency interference within sensitive analogue measurement as a critical consideration. The additional on-chip EMI filtering within the MCP6V51 provides protection from these unwanted and unpredictable interference sources. This allows designers to provide improved performance while more easily managing an increasingly difficult environment.

Programmable logic controllers and distributed control systems used within industrial automation run on a variety of voltage rails, such as 12, 24 or 36V. The support for a wide range of supply voltages includes overhead to account for supply transients by supporting an operating range up to 45V.

An evaluation board is also available. The eight-pin SOIC/MSOP/TSSOP/DIP evaluation board (Part # SOIC8EV) is a blank PCB that allows each device pin to be connected to a pull-up resistor, a pull-down resistor, an in-line resistor, and a loading capacitor. The PCB pads allow through-hole or surface-mount connectors to be installed to ease connection to the board. Additional passive component footprints are on the board, to allow simple circuits to be implemented.

The MCP6V51 is available today for sampling and volume production in both eight-lead MSOPs and five-lead SOT-23 packages.

http://www.microchip.com

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Adesto partners with Watson to predict energy analytics

Smart buildings can be enhanced with insights into energy management and other operational data through services running on the IBM Watson IoT platform, says Adesto at the launch of its SmartServer IoT edge server platform.

Through its recent acquisition of Echelon, Adesto has been selling its open embedded IoT platform into the building automation and energy management industry for over two decades. The SmartServer IoT edge server platform features built-in device and data management for sensors, meters, actuators and controllers in buildings, through traditional and emerging protocols including BACnet, LonWorks and Modbus.

The IBM Watson IoT platform is a managed, cloud-hosted service designed to make it simple to derive value from IoT devices. It enables organisations to capture and explore data for devices, equipment, and machines, and discover insights that can drive better decision-making. When combined with the seamless connectivity of data from Adesto’s SmartServer IoT, engineers can provide facility managers with deep insights into energy consumption and other operational aspects of a building.

“IBM Watson IoT Platform enables customers to maximize the value of their physical assets,” said Sanjay Tripathi, VP of strategy and business development, IBM IoT. “Adesto’s SmartServer IoT provides the critical connection from industrial data to our platform so that customers can perform powerful analytics on their data. We are delighted to work with Adesto to demonstrate our combined capabilities, and we look forward to making the solution available to customers in the buildings sector.”

Adesto will demonstrate this revolutionary capability for building integrators, facility managers and property owners in its booth C5234 at the AHR Expo in Atlanta, Georgia (14 to 16 January) and at Embedded World, Nuremberg, Germany (26 to 28 February, booth 4A:124).

http://www.adestotech.com

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Development kit connects Bluetooth/LPWAN devices

Support for concurrent communication over Bluetooth Low Energy and Sub-1GHz wireless allows users of the STEVAL-FKI001V1 dual-radio development kit to build and connect IoT devices like smart sensors, finders and trackers. These devices can be configured, updated, remotely monitored and tracked using various network topologies, protocols and services, confirms STMicroelectronics.

The development kit is for use by IoT developers in projects from smart homes and smart buildings to asset tracking, energy management, smart farming and industrial monitoring and control use.

The kit includes ST’s BlueNRG-1 Bluetooth system on chip and S2-LP sub-1GHz transceiver. The dual-radio architecture enables simultaneous operations on a variety of radio-frequency bands and protocols such as Bluetooth Low Energy or proprietary 2.4GHz, Sub-1GHz, and Sigfox.

According to ST, users can create smart objects that connect to each other locally through mesh or point-to-point connections and support flexible ways of connecting to the Cloud. For instance, a sensor ecosystem for a smart home could be created with local sensor networking leveraging either Bluetooth Low Energy or Sub-1GHz wireless link and the whole system is then connected to the Cloud through a local gateway or directly via a seamless Sigfox ubiquitous link, for surveillance or remote monitoring purposes.

The BlueNRG-1 Bluetooth 5.0 certified kit allows configuration or modification of device settings during installation or maintenance and permits monitoring of networked node sensors through an app running on any Android or iOS device.

The sub-1GHz S2-LP transceiver allows local networking as well as LPWAN installations including global Sigfox connectivity, which allows capabilities such as real-time notification of events. Sigfox-ready networking can be used to track and remotely localise devices or assets.

The kit can be expanded through its Arduino Uno V3 connectors with ST’s X-Nucleo offering, including expansion boards with MEMS sensors, motor control, GNSS receivers or industrial I/O and power drivers.

The STEVAL-FKI001V1 development kit is interoperable with the recently announced BlueNRG-Tile board. This combination can allow users to build end-to-end smart-sensor networks, including the sensor node, local gateways and Cloud connectivity.

Leveraging the BlueNRG-1 SoC’s versatile interfaces and low-power Arm Cortex-M0 core with 256kbyte of embedded program memory, users can connect their own choice of external sensors and process the data acquired locally in real time. The STEVAL-FKI001V1 has a software development kit (SDK) that simplifies development to reduce time to market, yet preserves the flexible, scalable nature of the design. It could also be used in conjunction with the ST BlueNRG-Mesh software package to create extensive networking on a large-scale installation, advises ST. Over the air (OTA) firmware updates are possible via the Bluetooth Low Energy connection.

Based on a ready-to-use WS2118 RF dual-radio module from Jorjin, the STEVAL-FKI001V1 provides a pre-certified solution for developers to quickly move from early concept-feasibility phase to prototyping, field trials and volume production. The programmable low-power radio module has flexible power management and wake-on-event capability that allows multi-year lifetime from a small primary battery, says ST.

http://www.st.com

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I2C interface makes low power CO2 sensor easier to implement

In smart environments where sensors monitor for changes so that the appropriate actions can be taken, the fastest growing examples are smart homes and smart offices where a network of sensors monitors temperature and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels to ensure the optimal conditionals are maintained with the minimum of energy expenditure, for example heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and indoor air quality (IAQ). A challenge for such systems in that the CO2 sensors need mains power to operate incurring costs for cabling and, in the case of installing in existing buildings, redecoration. Gas Sensing Solutions (GSS) believes it has solved this problem with its low power, LED-based sensor technology. The sensor’s power requirements are so low that wireless monitors can be built that measure CO2 levels as well as temperature and humidity with a battery life of over 10 years. As they are wireless they can be placed wherever they are required with no need for cabling or disruption. Equally, they can be simply relocated as building usages changes.

GSS has added an I2C interface to its very low power CO2 sensor, the CozIR-LP to make the integration of the sensor into a design very easy, says GSS. The CozIR-LP is claimed to be the lowest power CO2 sensor available. It requires only 3mW – this is up to 50 times lower than typical NDIR CO2 sensors. The patented LED technology also means that the solid state sensor is very robust, adds GSS. This keeps maintenance costs to a minimum as the expected lifetime is greater than 15 years; making them particularly suitable for applications that measure low (ambient) levels of CO2 from 0 to one per cent.

GSS will be launching the new I2C-enabled CozIR-LP on booth C5366 at the AHR Expo in Atlanta, GA, USA (14 to 16 January 2019).

www.gassensing.co.uk 

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