Sector News

Powerful, ultra-small, energy-efficient SMARC SoM from Inelco Hunter

Tue, Jul 30, 2024

Inelco Hunter has announced the launch of a powerful, ultra-small System-on-Module (SOM) designed for applications demanding compactness and energy efficiency. This SOM leverages the SMARC (Smart Mobility ARChitecture) standard, a widely recognised industry specification for compact, low-power embedded computing applications. Ideal for mobile devices, fleet management, factory automation, medical equipment, portable devices, and industrial IoT applications.

The new module integrates core SOM functions, including SDRAM and Flash memory, within a standardised footprint of 82mm x 50mm. At its core is the robust RK3568 Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A55 CPU, delivering exceptional performance.

The integrated graphics GPU is a Mali-G52-2EE, supporting OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, and Vulkan 1.1, whilst the NPU RKNN Accelerator provides remarkable processing power, up to 1 TOPS. Memory configuration includes 2GB LPDDR4 SDRAM on-board and 16GB eMMC Flash (as the default boot device), with options for 32GB or 64GB.

Supporting up to three displays, the module offers a range of I/O options, including two LVDS or MIPI-DSI ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, and a Display Port. USB connectivity is robust, featuring a USB 3.0 OTG and six USB host ports (five USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0). Additional I/O support is available, with detailed specifications accessible online.

This module supports industry-standard operating systems, including Linux (Buildroot, Yocto, Debian) and Android OS. Inelco Hunter’s engineering and software support ensures rapid implementation, accelerating the customer’s time-to-market.

http://www.inelcohunter.co.uk/smarc

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New Arduino PRO industrial kits exclusively available from Farnell and Avnet

Fri, Jul 26, 2024

A brand new range of industrial application kits from Arduino, is available exclusively from Farnell and Avnet. These Arduino PRO industrial kits are crafted to cater to the needs of professionals and enthusiasts.

The kits offer a wealth of tools, including advanced microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators, designed to unlock creativity and innovation in designing and implementing complex electronic systems. From smart cities to industrial automation.

Focusing on performance, reliability, and scalability, Arduino’s pro application kits are essential tools for engineers, researchers, and professionals in industrial automation, IoT (Internet of Things), robotics, and prototyping. These kits, with their robust hardware and user-friendly development environment, are perfect for those aiming to drive innovation in their projects.

The Arduino zero-touch programming experience enables effortless deployment and remote management of projects. Over-the-air firmware updates and a secure on-board element ensure applications remain up-to-date and secure.

The new Arduino PRO application kits will be available from Farnell in EMEA, Newark in North America and element14 in APAC. The kits are also available from Avnet globally.

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Ceva Bluetooth low energy IPs bring ultra-low power wireless connectivity

Thu, Jul 25, 2024

Ceva has announced that Alif Semiconductor has licensed and deployed the Ceva-Waves Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs in its Balletto family of wireless microcontrollers.
The Balletto family is a complete Edge AI/ML microcontroller solution for connected IoT platforms with integrated Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 and 802.15.4 wireless subsystem and a dedicated network co-processor, enabling connectivity and machine learning in a single chip. The Balletto family delivers up to 50x boost in machine learning performance and inference efficiency versus traditional MCUs that lack neural co-processors. The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth Low Energy IP provides Balletto MCUs with the robust connectivity at ultra-low power consumption, and supports Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast broadcast audio, for customers who wish to leverage Balletto to create highly differentiated wireless audio products. The Balletto family also relies on Ceva-Waves 802.15.4 IP for Thread, Zigbee and Matter support in smart home applications.

“Our Balletto family of connected, intelligent MCUs are tailored to meet the growing demand for AI/ML workloads in battery-powered devices,” said Mark Rootz, VP Marketing at Alif Semiconductor. “Ceva’s Bluetooth Low Energy and 802.15.4 IPs provide us with a highly-proven and robust connectivity solution for our chip design, allowing us to focus our R&D resources on differentiating our MCU to deliver outstanding performance for the most demanding wireless audio and smart home AI/ML use cases.”

“Wireless connectivity is a fundamental requirement of every intelligent device, and we’re proud to be the trusted supplier of embedded wireless IP to industry leaders and innovators alike, including Alif Semiconductor,” said Tal Shalev, Vice President and General Manager, Wireless IoT Business Unit at Ceva. “Our Bluetooth Low Energy IP has powered billions of devices to date, and we’re excited to partner with Alif to enable their Balletto family of intelligent MCUs with robust connectivity and high-bit rate audio.”

The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP platforms provide comprehensive solutions for both Bluetooth LE and Bluetooth dual mode connectivity, spanning RF, Modem, Baseband Controller, and complete Host and Profile software stacks. All the latest features of Bluetooth are supported, including AoA / AoD / Direction Finding, LE Audio / Auracast, Periodic Advertising with Response, and other enhancements such as Channel Sounding. It also comprises an IEEE 802.15.4 addon for Thread, Zigbee and Matter support. With more than 4.5 billion devices shipped to date and dozens of licensees, the Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP is widely deployed in consumer, automotive, industrial, medical and IoT devices with many of the world’s leading semiconductors companies and OEMs, including smartphones, tablets, beacons, wireless speakers, wireless headsets and earbuds, hearing aids and other wearables.
The Ceva-Waves Bluetooth IP is part of the Ceva-Waves unique and broad family of wireless connectivity IP platforms that also includes the Ceva-Waves Wi-Fi, UWB, NB-IoT and Links multi-protocol platforms.

https://www.ceva-ip.com/app/connectivity/

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New Edge AI evaluation kit from Infineon accelerates ML application development

Wed, Jul 24, 2024

Infineon has announced the release of a comprehensive evaluation kit for embedded, Edge AI and Machine Learning (ML) system designs. The new PSoC 6 AI Evaluation Kit provides all the tools required to build intelligent consumer, smart home and IoT applications. The solution executes inferencing next to the sensor data source, providing such user benefits as enhanced real-time performance and power efficiency compared to cloud-centric solution architectures. Its small 35 mm x 45 mm form factor, affordable cost and broad range of integrated sensors and connectivity make it the perfect choice for in-field data collection, rapid prototyping, model evaluation and solution creation.
The PSoC 6 AI Evaluation Kit also leverages Infineon’s advanced microcontroller (MCU), sensor and connectivity portfolios and powerful software development environments, including the Infineon ModusToolbox and the company’s Imagimob Studio offering for custom ML models, as well as off-the-shelf Ready Models.
“Infineon is helping drive the evolution of Edge AI, which requires the real-time compute capability and power-efficiency that distinguish our hardware portfolio, along with development tools that simplify and speed application development,” said Steve Tateosian, SVP of IoT, industrial and consumer microcontrollers, Infineon Technologies. “With our newest evaluation kit, we are offering access to a complete, easy-to-use ecosystem of Infineon hardware and software that will accelerate development and deployment of intelligent solutions in consumer, smart home, commercial and industrial IoT applications.”

https://www.infineon.com

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