MicroSys Electronics bases automotive gateway SoM on NXP S32G274A

Believed to be the first system on module (SoM) with NXP Semiconductor’s S32G274A processor.   

The miriac MPX-S32G274A SoM features 1GHz quad Arm Cortex-A53 cores with Arm Neon technology organised in two clusters for applications and services. For real-time tasks, there are also triple dual-core lockstep Arm Cortex-M7 cores for which MicroSys offers support for dedicated FreeRTOS implementations beside NXP’s standard automotive support. Clustered and operated in lockstep mode, this set of heterogenous cores can support ASIL-D applications or any other functional safety standard comparable to IEC 61508. The ASIL D safety and hardware security has more than 10 times the real-time performance and networking throughput of NXP’s previous automotive gateway devices, reports MicroSys Electronics.

The SoM integrates 4Gbyte of soldered LPDDR4 RAM at 3200Mtransfers per second, 16Gbyte eMMC non-volatile memory and 64Mbyte QuadSPI flash. External SD card storage can be multiplexed with the on-board eMMC.

The SoM offers an extensive range of generic and communication interfaces including four SerDes interfaces configurable as PCIe Gen3 2×1 or 2×2, four Gigabit Ethernet, 18x CAN FD bus, two FlexRay, and four LIN. There are also 14 GPIOs, 12 analogue inputs (ADC), three SPI, two UART, one USB and three I2C interfaces.

For trace and debug tasks, the SoM supports Aurora and JTAG interfaces. MicroSys also offers a board support package including bootloader configuration and all required Linux drivers.

The SoM offers multiple native CAN interfaces as well as comprehensive FlexRay, LIN and Ethernet support. Target markets are real-time connected vehicles, mobile machinery and automotive test and measurement equipment. It can also be used for data loggers, edge gateways and fail-safe programmable logic controllers (PLCs).

There is native support for 18 CAN interfaces, making the MicroSys SoM particularly suitable for developing comprehensive vehicle networks. The SoM is an alternative to using generic expansion buses to connect CAN controllers which can generate high interrupt loads on the main processor. The other alternative is to use FPGAs but these can be expensive, requiring additional development resources for FPGA programming.

The NXP S32G2 processor was developed specifically for vehicle networks and the MicroSys miriac MPX-S32G274A is the world’s first SoM to integrate the processor, says the company. “OEMs benefit from an application-ready building block for their connected real-time controllers in automotive and other functional safety applications. They also benefit from high computing performance, faster Ethernet and automotive connectivity including massive native CAN support, plus comprehensive functional safety and security features,” explains Ina Sophia Schindler, CEO of MicroSys Electronics.

MicroSys Electronics offers application-ready hardware and function-validated hardware-related software. It also offers customer-specific carrier boards and system level design services. These extend to SIL certification for any markets where functional safety standards analogue to IEC 61508 are required, including railway technology (EN 50155), aviation (DO-160), stationary and mobile machinery (ISO 13849), as well as manufacturing robots (ISO 10218), control systems (IEC 62061), and drive systems (IEC 61800‑5‑2). Approvals in the aviation context (DO-254/DO-160) are also greatly simplified by the existing manufacturer documentation.

https://microsys.de/

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STMicroelectronics claims first prize in race for G3-PLC hybrid comms chipset

The G3-PLC Hybrid specification is intended for seamless connectivity over powerline and wireless media. STMicroelectronics claims that its ST8500 and S2-LP chipset is the first to be certified according to the G3-PLC Hybrid communication standard.

The G3-PLC Hybrid specification allows smart-grid, smart-city, industrial, and IoT equipment to select the best available wireless or powerline channel at any time, automatically and dynamically, according to network conditions. As well as ensuring superior coverage, reliability, and scalability, it also allows cost-efficient system operation and enables new use cases, explains ST.

The hybrid chipset was introduced in 2020 and has completed the latest G3-PLC certification scheme, published in March 2021, which incorporates the Hybrid profile tests.

The certified chipset combines the ST8500 programmable multi-protocol powerline communication system on chip (SoC) and STLD1 line driver with ST’s S2-LP low-power sub-GHz radio transceiver.

Based on 6LowPAN and IPv6 and combining RF connectivity with the native G3-PLC protocol stack, the ST8500 SoC consumes less than 100mW in receive mode, in line with specifications to minimise the grid load imposed by new smart meters. It contains a high-performance DSP for real-time protocol processing and an Arm Cortex-M4F core for upper-layer processing and system management. Both the DSP and Arm core have their own code and data SRAM on-chip. Peripherals include an integrated 128/256-bit AES cryptographic engine. The analogue front end (AFE) for connecting to the STLD1 line driver is also integrated. The STLD1 communicates reliably, even across noisy power cables and with low impedance, with high drive capability and high linearity, says ST.

The S2-LP is a low power RF transceiver, intended for RF wireless applications in the sub-1GHz band. It is designed to operate in both the license-free ISM and SRD frequency bands at 433, 512, 868, and 920MHz, and can be programmed to operate at additional frequencies in the 413 to 479MHz, 452 to 27MHz, 826 to 958MHz, and 904 to1055MHz bands. The transceiver allows an RF-link budget greater than 140dB for long communication ranges and meets radio equipment regulations in territories worldwide including Europe, North America, China, and Japan. ST provides companion integrated balun/filter chips for the S2-LP that simplify antenna-connection circuitry and save PCB area in space-constrained applications.

The SoC’s programmability enables a software-defined implementation capable of supporting a broad portfolio of powerline protocol stacks, in worldwide frequency bands such as CENELEC and FCC, ST adds.

The ST8500 powerline communication SoC platform is used in smart metering, smart industrial and infrastructure applications. In addition to the chipset’s use in the smart grid market, ST’s hardware and firmware solution has been selected to power the official G3-PLC Alliance RF certification testing equipment.

The ST8500 SoC is packaged as a 7.0 x 7.0 x 1.0mm QFN56. The STLD1 and S2-LP are each packaged as 4.0 x 4.0 x 1.0mm QFN24. All devices are in full production.

https://www.st.com

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Small regulator increases efficiency for asset tracking

Maxim Integrated has added the Continua MAX38889 2.5 to 5.5V, 3A reversible buck/boost regulator to its Continua family of back up regulators. According to Maxim, system architects seeking back up power using super capacitor or other energy sources can capitalise on the high efficiency and small size of the Continua MAX38889. It is claimed to deliver the industry’s tightest output regulation of 2.5 per cent to support critical applications that demand high accuracy.

The MAX38889 features 94 per cent peak efficiency, nine per cent higher than the closest competing solution, says Maxim. This allows it to support longer back up time. It is also one third the size for integration into space constrained designs.

In applications such as smart utility meters or automotive dashboard cameras, the MAX38889 Continua regulator operates in buck mode to charge a back up power source, such as a super capacitor. When there is no mains power, the regulator reverses direction automatically, boosting the super capacitor voltage to power the system, until mains power is restored

At 218mm2, the MAX38889 is 64 per cent smaller than the closest competitor, which measures 606mm², allowing designers to reduce component count, cut board space and save bill of materials (BoM) cost. Smaller size also makes it easier to integrate into new and existing designs with tight space constraints. The MAX38889 regulates back up power for both portable and non-portable applications, such as retail price scanners and surveillance cameras, and others used in home, building, automotive, industrial automation and healthcare IoT.

Maxim Integrated also offers the MAX38889EVKIT# evaluation kit.

http://www.maximintegrated.com

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Wi-Fi module is secure for WPA2 and WPA3-Personal Wi-Fi standards

Supporting the latest standards for secure networking, the PAN9520 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n embedded Wi‑Fi module provides all the security features required for compliance with WPA2 and WPA3-Personal Wi-Fi security standards, says Panasonic Industry.

The PAN9520 is based on the Espressif ESP32-S2 microcontroller, which includes a high-performance 32-bit Xtensa LX7 CPU, a high sensitivity wireless radio, a baseband processor, boot loader and 320kbytes of SRAM. An encryption unit supports a range of security and encryption protocols, including CCMP, TKIP, WAPI, WEP, BIP, and AES.

It includes flash memory, a 40MHz crystal oscillator and a chip antenna. The integrated crystal is claimed to ensure connection performance over the entire temperature range and lifetime. Although believed to be one of the smallest modules on the market, it offers a rich set of peripherals, including full-speed USB OTG, SPI, UART, I²C.

The integrated module can be implemented quickly and easily into end-product designs – with or without a host controller, says the company. Panasonic Industry offers two variants with either 2Mbyte PSRAM and 4Mbyte flash or no PSRAM and 1Mbyte flash.

The module supports access point mode and station mode in parallel, allowing simultaneous Wi-Fi connections to smart devices and home network routers.

There is also the Espressif IoT integrated development framework (ESP-IDF), with which engineers can develop software for a range of applications, and access software examples which can be used to speed up development.

Panasonic develops technologies for wide-ranging applications in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, and B2B sectors. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2018 and operates 528 subsidiaries and 72 associated companies worldwide.

Panasonic Industry Europe is part of the global Panasonic Group and provides automotive and industrial products and services in Europe. It researches, develops, manufactures and supplies technologies and has a portfolio which covers key electronic components, devices and modules up to complete solutions and production equipment for manufacturing lines across a broad range of industries.

http://industry.panasonic.eu

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