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2G cellular module offers upgrade path to 3G, LTE or LPWA

Mon, Jul 30, 2018

A quad-band GSM/GPRS cellular module, the u‑blox SARA-G450, has optimised power consumption for IoT applications, says u-blox.

The SARA-G450 2G cellular module for machine to machine (M2M) applications, such as utility metering and tracking systems is in the established SARA form factor. The module lets product developers migrate their products to 3G, LTE, or LPWA technology to meet a broad range of environmental and technological requirements.

2G cellular technology offers reliable performance for mobile applications and broad geographical coverage. It has been the technology of choice for machine type connectivity such as fleet management, metering and tracking. While some regions are currently phasing out their 2G network infrastructure, 2G continues to be a viable and popular option for M2M solutions in regions still lacking NB-IoT and LTE Cat M1 networks or where coverage is ‘spotty’. The SARA-G450 targets cost and space-sensitive applications in these markets, says u-blox.

It is pin-compatible with the entire u-blox cellular range, enabling designers to use a single platform and PCB design for designs intended for a variety of air interface technologies, including 2G, 3G, LPWA (LTE Cat M1 and NB1), and high speed LTE. According to u-blox, this also means that product developers can anticipate future upgrades of their applications to move to LTE Cat M1 and NB1 connectivity as soon as they become available in their target markets.

SARA-G450 is a standard grade quad-band GSM/GPRS module that is power-optimised for IoT applications. It can combine with a variety of best-in-class u‑blox GNSS or Bluetooth modules for solutions that integrate positioning, short range and cellular communication. An embedded internet suite facilitates the development of a range of M2M devices.

u‑blox provides positioning and wireless communication technologies for the automotive, industrial, and consumer markets, to allow people, vehicles, and machines determine their precise position and communicate wirelessly over cellular and short range networks. The company portfolio includes chips, modules, and a growing ecosystem of product supporting data services.

http://www.u-blox.com

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SiTime and Intel collaborate on MEMS timing for 5G

Mon, Jul 30, 2018

MEMS timing specialist, SiTime is collaborating with Intel, working together on integrating timing solutions for Intel’s 5G multi-mode radio modems. The collaboration will also apply to Intel LTE, millimeter-wave wireless, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GNSS solutions.

5G is expected to transform communications, with new levels of connectivity. Areas from smart cities and intelligent wind farms, to agriculture and hospitals, the Internet of Things and connected infrastructures will generate zettabytes of data from an estimated 50 billion devices, says SiTime.

To realise this transformation, networks must become faster, more agile, and much denser, utilising more equipment. Systems will be deployed closer to connected devices and in uncontrolled locations such as on streetlight, traffic lights, rooftops, stadiums, and parking garages. In these settings, 5G devices will be subject to environmental stressors such as vibration, high temperature, and rapid temperature changes.

SiTime’s MEMS timing solutions enhance system performance in the presence of stressors such as vibration, high temperature, and rapid thermal transients, which can disrupt the timing signal and result in network reliability issues, lower data throughput, and connectivity drops. SiTime is to provide its MEMS solutions, with patented MEMS timing technology, to Intel’s 5G modem business, to meet the performance requirements of emerging 5G radio modem platforms.

SiTime’s transformative MEMS timing solutions have proven to offer up to 20 times better robustness, reliability, and performance in the presence of such stressors, and are crucial to the successful deployment of 5G, reports SiTime.

“Our collaboration with SiTime on MEMS-based silicon timing solutions will help our customers build leading 5G platforms to best take advantage of the increased performance and capacity that the 5G NR standard brings,” said Dr. Cormac Conroy, corporate vice president and general manager of the Communication and Devices Group at Intel. The project will address all areas, he contines: “Intel’s modem technology and our collaboration with SiTime is helping to enable new mobile and consumer experiences, and enterprise and industrial use cases.”

“Intel is already building 5G’s future and has the scale to meet 5G’s scope,” said Rajesh Vashist, CEO at SiTime. “Our collaboration enables SiTime to align our MEMS timing solutions roadmap with Intel’s 5G platforms,” he added, described the partnership as “potent” for future growth and one that enables successful deployment of 5G.

http://www.sitime.com

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PMICs monitor deep learning SoCs

Wed, Jul 25, 2018

Two power management ICs (PMICs) from Maxim Integrated provide power management for deep-learning SoCs, FPGAs and multimedia application processors. The MAX77714 and MAX77752 can help mobile systems designers to maximise performance per watt while increasing system efficiency, says the company.

The MAX77714 and MAX77752 address a spectrum of applications ranging from augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), gaming, solid-state drives (SSDs), security and industrial internet of things (IIoT) to handheld devices such as cameras and home automation hubs. They have been developed with architecture that consumes 40 per cent less power than standard solutions, claims Maxim, to extend battery life and to provide a compact form factor.

The move towards higher performance application processors is increasing computational power in consumer electronics and mobile devices, which is at odds with user expectations that battery-operated, always-on electronics run cool and for long periods of time. Designers are faced with the challenge of reducing board space and component cost, while delivering high efficiency, high horsepower and flexible power sequencing.

The MAX77714 PMIC enables multi-core processor-based systems to operate at maximum performance with greater than 90 per cent efficiency at 3.6V in, 1.1V out. The 70-bump, 4.1 x 3.25 x 0.7mm WLP enables thinner, smaller devices and extends battery life up to 40 per cent compared to standaone solutions, claims Maxim. In addition, it reduces design cycle time, component count, and bill of material (BoM) costs compared to discrete solutions by integrating 13 regulators, including nine low-dropout linear regulators, real-time clock (RTC), back-up battery charger, watchdog timer, flexible power sequencing and eight general purpose input/outputs (GPIOs), adds the company.

The MAX77752 is a multi-channel PMIC designed for applications with multiple power rails and hot-plugging capabilities. It improves efficiency up to 90 per cent at 3.6Vin, 1.8V out for longer battery life and includes a flexible power sequencer (FPS) to allow hardware- or software-controlled power up. It reduces design cycle time, component count and BoM costs by integrating three buck regulators (with high-accuracy brown-out comparators), one low-dropout linear regulator, two dedicated load switch controllers, one in-rush current limiter, two external regulators to enable outputs, voltage monitor for back-up power control and a dedicated digital output resource for logic control. The MAX77752 comes in a compact 40-pin, 5.0 x 5.0 x 0.8mm, 0.4mm-pitch TQFN package.

http://www.maximintegrated.com

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MEN adds BC51M box PC for mobile communications

Mon, Jul 23, 2018

MEN adds the BC51M box PC to its modular family range. The fanless and maintenance-free device is used in graphics and memory-intensive applications in trains, buses or commercial vehicles. It offers a choice of communications interfaces and is scalable, adds the company.

The BC51M is based on the Intel Atom E3900 series processors, optionally with two or four cores, up to 1.6GHz. With 8Gbyte DDR3 SDRAM, a rear accessible SD card, an integrated eMMC memory and an optional SATA HDD/SSD, the BC51M box PC has sufficient storage capacity for entertainment servers or video surveillance systems.

The BC51M was designed for mobile use in trains, buses or commercial vehicles and manages wireless on-board functions such as internet on board, positioning via GNSS, entertainment or predictive maintenance. The box PC supports up to two DisplayPort interfaces with a maximum resolution of 4K, as well as two Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) interfaces, one USB 2.0, one HD audio and two variable connections for serial I/O, CAN bus, MVB or IBIS.

Two PCI Express Mini Card slots and two micro-SIM slots provide flexibility in implementing mobile service standards up to 4G LTE or WLAN.

The system is designed for fanless operation at temperatures from -40 to +85 degree C. The integrated 30W/24V DC power supply means the box PC complies with the railway standard EN 50155 and ISO 7637-2 for road vehicles.

MEN Mikro Elektronik was founded in 1982. The company has approximately 300 employees worldwide manufacturing embedded COTS boards and devices used in extreme environmental conditions found in mobile, industrial and safety-critical applications.

For individual requirements, starting with development through design-in and beyond, MEN provides its customers with advice and support as well as with system design, configuration and environmental qualification in accordance with industry standards.

The company’s core competencies encompass x86 and RISC processor architectures, development rules for safe applications, analogue I/O design, FPGA technology and Windows, Linux and real-time operating systems (RTOS). Additional expertise includes RAMS and obsolescence management as well as the development of computing hardware for operation in harsh and extreme environmental conditions.

http://www.men.de

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2G cellular module offers upgrade path to 3G, LTE or LPWA

SiTime and Intel collaborate on MEMS timing for 5G

PMICs monitor deep learning SoCs

MEN adds BC51M box PC for mobile communications

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