Sector News

Microchip makes it easier to build sophisticated graphical user interfaces

Thu, Sep 19, 2024

Designers are incorporating Graphical User Interfaces, or GUIs, into more electronic devices to enhance the user experience by providing intuitive and visually appealing interactions with today’s modern applications. To support embedded developers with their designs, Microchip has announced the Microchip Graphics Suite (MGS), an easy-to-learn, comprehensive solution that simplifies the process of incorporating GUIs, animations and images into a touchscreen display.
Developing a GUI can be a complex and lengthy process, requiring significant time and resources to debug and integrate code from various tools. MGS is designed to easily integrate with Microchip’s 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) and microprocessors (MPUs) and supports multiple development platforms, including MPLAB Harmony v3 and Linux environments. This comprehensive solution to build a GUI interface aims to help designers improve reusability across projects and simplify design complexities.
MGS offers compositional tools, including a simulator for hardware-free prototyping. By leveraging the MPLAB Code Configurator (MCC), the simulator builds the MCC-generated C code in either web or native mode. In web mode, the tool creates an HTML file that can run on most web browsers with simulated touch interactivity. In native mode, the simulator enables debugging of the GUI on Windows desktop computers. These features enable accurate display and functionality demonstrations that are independent of hardware availability.
MGS provides an intuitive WYSIWYG interface with a modern design, enabling users to directly see and manipulate the final output, reducing errors and increasing efficiency. To make GUIs more accessible, MGS is versatile and can support a wide range of devices of varying performance. They can range from resource-constrained devices with significantly lower memory and system performance requirements to high-performance devices supporting tablet-sized touchscreens with high-fidelity video playback.
This solution is optimal for developers who want superior graphical performance without costly hardware upgrades. Additionally, MGS supports a wide range of displays, from monochrome OLEDs to 1080p 16.7M colour TFTs, including MIPI DSI, LVDS, RGB, SPI, and HDMI interfaces, along with touchscreens with 2D/3D gestures.
This comprehensive solution simplifies the integration of a GUI from design phase to implementation across a wide range of applications. MGS is highly compatible with the company’s broad portfolio of PIC32 MCUs, SAM MPUs and maXTouch touchscreen controllers. Additionally, Microchip can provide other key components including memory, power management and connectivity solutions.

Microchip Graphics Suite is supported by various development tools including MPLAB Harmony v3, MPLAB Code Configurator and Microchip’s mainlined Linux Distribution for 32-bit MCUs and MPUs.

Microchip Graphics Suite is complimentary and available now to download.

https://developerhelp.microchip.com

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Insight SiP launches next generation bluetooth radio in miniature integrated SiP package

Wed, Sep 18, 2024

Insight SiP is launching the ISP2454-MX module in a tiny package measuring 8 x 8 x 1mm, the smallest package on the market. With extended temperature capability up to 105oC, this device can support next generation Bluetooth based solutions including Angle of Arrival and the new Bluetooth Channel Sounding technology. Based on the new Nordic nRF54L15, this offers improved performance across the board, being based on a 4th generation radio and a double speed microprocessor compared with the nRF52 series-based devices, at a lower cost.

This module can support a wide range of solutions, offering a powerful Arm M33F 128Mhz based processor, and advanced security features with ARM Trustzone. Power consumption is improved in both radioactive and sleep modes. Memory capacity is increased with 1.5MB of storage and 256KB RAM, allowing the largest and most sophisticated applications to be run. This enhanced performance is also offered at a cost advantage over nRF52 based devices, making it equally suitable for price sensitive products.

Despite the advanced features of this device, it is released in Insight SiP’s standard 8 x 8 x 1 mm package and offers a fully integrated solution with RF matching and integrated antenna. Both 32MHz and 32 kHz crystals and DC-DC support for each processor are included, meaning it is a fully functioning Bluetooth node only requiring a power supply to operate.

A full range of peripheral connections is available including HS-SPI, SPI, UART, I2S and others. There is also a software programmable peripheral independent 128MHz RISC processor, allowing alternative high-speed peripherals to be supported. As well as supporting BLE, the module can run Zigbee, Thread and other 802.15.4 based protocols, concurrently with BLE. Protocols stacks and applications run on the real time Zephyr operating system which provides a rich suite of drivers and services.

The ISP2454 RF module is designed to run on a coin cell battery if required. Thanks to the module’s ultra-low power consumption and advanced power management system, the battery can last up to several years.

Initial samples are available now. Full production of the modules will start in 2025. Certification is pending. To help product developers, Insight SiP will offer complete development kits together with sample software that provides everything required out of the box to start developing a solution on day one.

https://www.insightsip.com/

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New EnOcean radio transceivers for a quantum leap in performance and efficiency

Wed, Sep 18, 2024

With its latest radio transceiver family, EnOcean is setting new benchmarks in the landscape of wireless technology. The new TCM 600 and TCM 615 devices provide significantly more memory and much higher computation power. At the same time, they reduce energy consumption even further. These new wireless transceivers enable the creation of next generation, differentiated products based on EnOcean technology.
The TCM 615 provides a simple, compact, and cost-effective way to add EnOcean radio communication functionality to OEM customer solutions. It is pin-to-pin compatible with the previous TCM 515 device and uses the same, well-established ESP3 interface protocol. Users can therefore directly upgrade existing designs from TCM 515 to TCM 615 without the need for hardware or software redesign, and thereby immediately benefit from the latest functionality.

With the TCM 600, customers can combine their own application with the latest EnOcean radio communication technology in the same module. This solution is therefore ideal for implementing in space-constrained wireless applications such as ultra-compact relays and dimmers.

TCM 600 and TCM 615 implement the open, industry-leading EnOcean radio communication standard ISO1453-3-10 and ISO14543-3-11. This standard is characterised by high reliability and very low power consumption thanks to the use of small, redundant messages making them ideal for energy harvesting and low power applications.

“With its latest radio transceiver family, EnOcean is underlining its strong commitment to the EnOcean Alliance ecosystem. Both TCM 600 and TCM 615 significantly extend the performance and sustainability envelope and therefore represent an important milestone for sustainable, wireless connectivity. Thanks to their enhanced performance, focus on sustainability and space efficiency, these modules are ideal for the implementation of a wide range of solutions that are both technologically advanced and environmentally conscious,” Kassner summarises.

Samples of TCM 600 and TCM 615 for testing are already available. Volume shipments of TCM 615 will begin end of the year and TCM 600 volume shipments will start early next year

https://www.enocean.com

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SECORA Pay Bio enhances convenience and trust of biometric contactless payment

Tue, Sep 17, 2024

As the payment world moves towards digitalisation, the need to protect digital identities and transactions has never been more important. In addition to standard contactless payment cards, biometric payment cards are a promising development in this area and are gaining in popularity. Against this backdrop, Infineon has announced SECORA Pay Bio, an all-in-one biometric payment card solution that complies with Visa and Mastercard specifications. It integrates Infineon’s enhanced SLC39B system-on-chip (SoC) Secure Element and the FPC1323 sensor by Fingerprint Cards AB (Fingerprints) into the Infineon Biometric Coil on Module (BCoM) package, leveraging the key advantages of inductive coupling technology. The solution uses the fingerprint credentials securely stored on the card as a second authentication factor, enabling a convenient and trusted contactless payment experience.

In an optimistic scenario, ABI Research expects the market for biometric cards to grow to 113.3 million units by 2028. This market trend is driven by further optimisation of the price-performance ratio, including the producibility and cost of biometric payment cards, as well as by consumer demand for more convenient and secured biometric authentication in personal payment transactions. Furthermore, biometric payment cards could offer an additional barrier against lost-and-stolen fraud and PIN phishing fraud.

SECORA Pay Bio extends Infineon’s SECORA Pay solution family. The solution integrates Fingerprints’ sensor and Infineon’s SLC39B SoC Secure Element into a single dual-interface package, the innovative Infineon Biometric Coil on Module (BCoM). The SLC39B Secure Element with an integrated power source offers large memory size and various peripherals, as well as excellent contactless performance. Based on innovative inductive coupling technology without wire connection from the BCoM module to the card antenna, manufacturing complexity can be drastically reduced, and the card robustness and long-term reliability can be significantly improved. In addition, the biometric sensor card production can now be implemented on existing dual interface card manufacturing equipment with only minor operational changes. As the SECORA Pay Bio solution complies with both Mastercard and Visa specifications, the use of BCoM technology would not require additional performance testing, enabling a flexible and rapid rollout with outstanding performance and a frictionless onboarding process.

SECORA Pay Bio supports a wide range of enrolment options, including sleeves, smartphone apps and in-field enrolment. The innovative SECORA Pay Bio enrolment sheet makes fingerprint enrolling via smartphone easier than ever before. In addition, SECORA Pay Bio is the first biometric payment solution to support in-field enrolment. This allows cardholders to use biometric payment cards without any additional effort or devices. Moreover, with these new biometric cards, the fingerprint template is trained with each payment transaction, improving the user experience even further.

Availability
The SECORA Pay Bio solution supports the latest payment applications according to EMV specifications. The pilot proven product is available with full design-in package and ready for mass-production. More information is available at https://www.infineon.com/secorapaybio

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