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Energy harvesting PMIC contributes to low power IoT

Tue, Apr 11, 2023

Adding to its range of power ICs, Nexperia has introduced the NEH2000BY power management IC (PMIC) for low power embedded applications, including the IoT.

The NEH2000BY PMIC recharges a battery or storage capacitor using energy harvested from ambient sources, such as light (which can be harvested using a photovoltaic cell). The PMIC will enable the development of electronic devices that are self-powered, smaller, and environmentally friendly, said Nexperia and exploit energy harvesting to help mitigate the environmental impact of the billions of batteries produced and discarded each year.

The PMIC makes it much easier to design energy harvesting solutions which can be up to 20x smaller than other competing offerings and do not require manual optimization for individual applications, claimed the company. It is designed without inductors, which simplifies PCB design and “significantly” reduces BoM and board size. The assembly area is just 12mm².

To achieve the highest conversion efficiency, energy harvesting must be able to adapt as the ambient energy source fluctuates. To this end, the NEH2000BY performs maximum power point tracking (MPPT), an adaptive algorithm to optimise how it transfers harvested energy, achieving optimum average conversion efficiency by up to 80 per cent. The MPPT algorithm combines speed with accuracy, allows the PMIC to adapt to environmental changes in less than one second: significantly faster than any other currently available solution, said Nexperia. By maximising the amount of energy harvested over the course of a day, the PMIC can broaden the number of applicable use cases, while the self-optimisation functionality and the ability to operate autonomously without pre-programming make it simpler to design products using ambient energy.

Nexperia’s energy harvesting technology enables economical energy harvesting from various ambient sources in applications consuming up to several mW of power, including wireless IoT nodes, wearable smart tags and electronic shelf labels.

Dan Jensen, general manager business group analogue and logic ICs at Nexperia commented: “The NEH2000BY . . . will allow the adoption of energy harvesting in a larger range of use cases. By eliminating the requirement to change batteries in these applications, NEH2000BY will significantly reduce the amount of hazardous waste produced, with enormous environmental benefits.”

The NEH2000BY is available in a 16-lead, 3.0 x 3.0mm QFN package and operates between -40 and +85 degrees C.

http://www.nexperia.com

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Skyworks expands smart switches with Si834x and Si830x models

Thu, Apr 06, 2023

Two smart switches from Skyworks extend the company’s portfolio. The Si834x isolated smart switch and the Si830x smart switch are the latest additions to Skyworks’ isolation portfolio which is used in a varied range of applications, including industrial automation, transportation systems, home entertainment electronics and medical systems.

The Si834x devices provide up to four isolated high- or low-side switches with low on state switch resistance. They are suitable for driving resistive and inductive loads including solenoids, relays and lamps commonly found in industrial control systems such as programmable logic controllers (PLC). Each switch is galvanically isolated for safety using Skyworks’ CMOS based isolation technology.

The Si834x switches are robust and flexible load drivers and are capable of providing up to 0.5A of IEC61131-2 compliant continuous current in a quad channel configuration, or up to 2.5A of continuous current in a single channel configuration.

Each switch can detect an open circuit condition and is protected against over-current, over-voltage from demagnetisation (inductive kick or flyback voltage), and over-temperature conditions.

An innovative multi-voltage smart clamp is used to efficiently handle an unlimited amount of demagnetisation energy, confirmed Skyworks. The Si834x over-current protection includes an inrush current mode on select products, allowing the switch to drive challenging loads such as lamps and DC motors. The device power supplies are monitored and the switches are safely constrained or shutdown if a fault is detected

The second introduction is the Si830x switches, which are designed for driving resistive and inductive loads like solenoids, relays and lamps commonly found in industrial control systems like programmable logic controllers (PLCs). They are easily interfaced directly to a microcontroller, or controlled through a digital isolator or optocoupler-based isolation barrier, said the company.

The logic interface supports low power 2.5 to 5.0V microcontrollers and is powered by the switch’s high voltage field power supply. The field power supply supports a wide supply range, from 9.0 to 32V, for industrial voltage levels. The switches are capable of providing 0.7A under any valid load condition. A multi-voltage clamp efficiently handles an unlimited amount of demagnetisation energy. Each switch offers fault protection and has over-current protection based on power estimation to keep the device cool and operational, even during a short circuit event. Additionally, the device power supplies are monitored, and the switches are safely constrained or shutdown on faults.

Three diagnostics are reported through an active-low, open-drain fault indicator pin. It can be connected to an LED for instant user feedback, connected to a microcontroller for advanced software control, or tied together with additional fault pins from other devices to simplify user feedback or reduce board layout complexity.

http://www.skyworksinc.com

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Farnell stocks Analog Devices’ low power real time clock

Thu, Apr 06, 2023

Accessed through an I2C serial interface, the MAX31331 is a low power, real time clock (RTC) time keeping device from Analog Devices, which is now available from Farnell.

The MAX31331 supports a wide range of 32.768kHz crystals and is accessed through an I2C serial interface. It consumes nominal 65nA time-keeping current, extending battery life, making it suitable for battery-powered and portable devices, including, wearables, medical devices and IoT nodes. The MAX31331 includes an automatic switch reverting to a back up supply in the event of a power failure, ensuring accurate timekeeping even in adverse conditions.

It is compact, with a small footprint of 1.66 x 1.26mm for use where space is limited. For ease of use, there are timestamps for various events, low battery voltage detection, 1/128 second register and alarms and countdown timer

The MAX31331 can be purchased from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC.

Farnell has over 80 years’ experience in the high service distribution of technology products and solutions for electronic system design, production, maintenance and repair. It supports its broad customer base, from hobbyists to engineers, maintenance engineers and buyers, working with leading brands and start-ups to develop new products for market, and supporting the industry as it seeks to develop the current and next generation of engineers.

Farnell trades as Farnell in Europe; Newark in North America; and element14 throughout Asia Pacific and sells direct to consumers through a network of resellers and its CPC business in the UK.

Farnell is a business unit of Avnet, a global technology solutions provider with an extensive ecosystem that delivers design, product, marketing and supply chain expertise for customers at every stage of the product lifecycle.

http://www.farnell.com

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Renesas is first to support public building air quality standards in environmental sensors

Tue, Apr 04, 2023

Renesas Electronics today announced new firmware for its industry-leading ZMOD digital air quality sensors. The latest firmware lets engineers configure the sensors to support various green air quality standards for Commercial & Public buildings, making them the first sensors in the industry to conform to the requirements of multiple global air quality standards. As commercial HVAC systems move towards autonomous monitoring of our air quality, these systems can now monitor and detect harmful gasses in indoor spaces. Support for environmental standards increases the value of end products and reduces the effort needed to qualify manufacturers for government incentives.

Renesas offers support for the Commercial & Public standards, as well as other environmental standards, through its ZMOD digital gas sensors. Both the ZMOD4410 indoor air quality sensor and the ZMOD4510 outdoor air quality sensor offer compliance with the standards. The ZMOD sensors offer customers the ability to configure the sensors through firmware with cloud-based connections. This enables both new and existing ZMOD customers to implement support for the building standards around the globe. A wide range of products can take advantage of this support, including HVAC systems, thermostats, smart appliances and smoke detectors.

“We are excited to see Renesas designing and producing sensors that align with green and healthy building standards,” said Stanton Wong, President, RESET International Standard, an organisation promoting data collection and continuous monitoring for buildings via standardisation. “As awareness of the health impact of environmental factors continues to grow, monitoring the performance of a building via sensors is the best way to understand and optimise for health in indoor spaces. We look forward to the technological innovations Renesas will bring to the industry.”

“Environmental sensors are a vital tool for ensuring the health and safety of occupants in public and commercial buildings,” said DK Singh, Sr. Director of the Sensor Solutions Business at Renesas. “By using our AI-enabled hardware and firmware platform, customers can easily implement advanced sensors that comply with various building air quality standards to provide a safer and healthier environment for people around the world.”

Key Features of the ZMOD Digital Gas Sensors

Support for multiple standards for both indoor and outdoor air quality
Firmware configurable for unique flexibility with cloud connectivity
Artificial intelligence enables training of sensors
JEDEC JESD47 qualification ensures 10-year product life
Compensation engines support low-level part per billion (PPB) standard requirements
Senses TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds), Ozone and Nitrogen Dioxide

Winning Combinations

Renesas has combined the sensors with other compatible devices from its portfolio, including MCUs, power devices, and wireless connectivity solutions to create multiple Winning Combinations, including the Gas Sensor with Cloud Connection for Industrial Applications. Winning Combinations are technically vetted system architectures from mutually compatible devices that work together seamlessly to bring an optimised, low-risk design for faster time to market. Renesas offers more than 300 Winning Combinations with a wide range of products from the Renesas portfolio to enable customers to speed up the design process and bring their products to market more quickly. All Renesas sensors are part of Renesas’ Quick-Connect development environments to ensure rapid prototyping with minimal coding.

Availability

Both the ZMOD4410 and ZMOD4510 sensors are available today, along with Commercial & Public firmware. The ZMOD4410-EVK and ZMOD4510-EVK evaluation kits are also available.

About Renesas Electronics Corporation

Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) empowers a safer, smarter and more sustainable future where technology helps make our lives easier. A leading global provider of microcontrollers, Renesas combines our expertise in embedded processing, analog, power and connectivity to deliver complete semiconductor solutions. These Winning Combinations accelerate time to market for automotive, industrial, infrastructure and IoT applications, enabling billions of connected, intelligent devices that enhance the way people work and live. Learn more at renesas.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

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Energy harvesting PMIC contributes to low power IoT

Skyworks expands smart switches with Si834x and Si830x models

Farnell stocks Analog Devices’ low power real time clock

Renesas is first to support public building air quality standards in environmental sensors

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