Differential WiFi oscilloscopes enable mobile measurements

Two differential WiFi oscilloscopes have been added to the WiFiScope series by TiePie. The high resolution WiFiScope WS6 Diff and WiFiScope WS4 Diff are everyday oscilloscopes, says the company, which can be used via an Ethernet connection (LAN, WiFi or WAN) and with a USB 2.0 / 3.0 connection.

They have a built-in battery which allows the WiFiScope the possibility to perform fully wireless differential measurements. Measurements can then be performed galvanically isolated and over long distances. The wireless, PC-based data acquisition instruments can be used for serial communication buses, switch mode power supplies, frequency converters and automotive measurements.

With a WAN connection, worldwide differential measurements can be performed. Specific knowledge on networks is not required, says TiePie. The Multi Channel software gives an overview of the available USB instruments and network instruments.

The differential WiFi oscilloscope provide fully wireless differential measurements via WiFi and mobile differential measurements (e.g. on transport systems and moving installations) are also possible. LAN and WAN data acquisition is available for long distance differential measurements.

The e.g. on transport systems and moving installations also provide continuous real time high speed data acquisition over both WiFi and LAN/WAN and USB differential measurements for standalone applications. High speed data acquisition is up to 200Msamples per second.

According to TiePie, the WiFiScope is so transparent that it appears that the Ethernet connected instrument is connected directly to the computer. All hardware and software functions of the oscilloscope, spectrum analyser, data logger and voltmeter remain available via the network.

The differential WiFi oscilloscope can now be used where previously it was difficult to place a complete measurement setup, says TiePie. The WiFi connections enable electrical, physical, mechanical and acoustic signals to now be measured remotely. With the WiFi oscilloscope, high speed real time continuous data acquisition rates of 5Msamples per second can be achieved with a resolution of 8- to 16-bits and, via LAN / WAN connections, high speed real time continuous data acquisition rates of 20Msamples per second can be achieved with a resolution of 8 to 16-bits. Via USB connections, high speed real time continuous data acquisition rates of 200Msamples per second can be achieved with a resolution of 8 to 16bits.

When combined with the free Multi Channel oscilloscope software, the WiFiScope WS4 Diff and WiFiScope WS6 Diff turn a PC into a high resolution differential oscilloscope, precision spectrum analyser, EMI pre compliance analyser, high performance multimeter, very fast differential data logger and comprehensive protocol analyser. The Multi Channel software allows the user to share data and analyse it without the need of an instrument. The software’s data analysis capabilities, via user configurable data processing I/O blocks, show the analysis results in graphs, tables and/or meter displays. Complicated instrument setups are no longer required as the Quick Setup accomplishes the measurement task in up to four mouse clicks from a selection dialogue that gives access to over 700 set ups, containing settings, example signals and background information on how to connect the instrument.

A software development kit (SDK) for writing PC-based data acquisition software is available, as well as examples in C, C++, C#, Python, Matlab, Node.js and Visual Basic.NET.

http://www.tiepie.com

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nRF52820 SoC is introduced to support lower-end of nRF52 series     

The nRF52820 Bluetooth 5.2 SoC is the sixth addition to Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF52 Series. It is a low power Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE), Bluetooth mesh, Thread, Zigbee, and 2.4GHz proprietary wireless connectivity device for smart home, commercial and industrial applications.

The nRF52820’s is capable of all the features of Bluetooth 5, 5.1 and 5.2 including long range and high-throughput of 2Mbits per second, as well as direction finding, low energy power control and low energy isochronous channels.

It has a full speed (12Mbits per second) USB 2.0 interface. The USB connectivity interface enables low-latency and high-bandwidth communication with a range of host devices, such as PCs, smartphones, and gateways. The connectivity also makes device firmware updates (DFU)-over-USB practical. In addition to the main supply regulators, the USB peripheral in the nRF52820 includes a dedicated regulator for converting the 5V Vbus signal to the 3.3V needed for the USB signalling interface, which negates the need for an external regulator, saving both cost and space.

Based on a 64MHz 32bit Arm Cortex-M4 processor, the SoC includes 256kbyte Flash and 32kbyte RAM. This, says Nordic, makes it particularly well-suited as a single-chip option for commercial and industrial wireless applications including professional lighting, asset tracking, high intensity discharge lighting and gaming products.

When paired with an application microcontroller, the nRF52820’s multi-protocol radio and +8dBm output power enables its use as a network processor for gateways and other smart home applications that require advanced wireless connectivity.

The nRF52820 is qualified for operation across an extended industrial temperature range of -40 to 105 degrees C.

The nRF52820 includes up to 18 general purpose I/Os and a range of analogue and digital interfaces such an analogue comparator, SPI, UART, TWI, and QDEC.

The supply voltage covers a 1.7 to 5.5V input range, allowing the nRF52820 to be powered by coin-cells and rechargeable batteries.

The nRF52820 is supported by the S112 and S140 SoftDevices (Bluetooth 5.1-qualified protocol stacks), and the S122 (alpha version) SoftDevice. The S112 and S122 are memory-optimised peripheral and central stacks respectively, while the S140 is a feature-complete Bluetooth 5 protocol stack for central and peripheral, including long range and high-throughput.

Nordic also offers the nRF5 software development kit (SDK) v16.0.0, with the full nRF5 SDK support to follow in Q2 2020. The nRF52833 development kit can be used to emulate the nRF52820 and as a basis to start nRF52820-based designs.

http://www.nordicsemi.com

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Network Master Pro MT1040A evaluates 400G networks

Anritsu will release the portable MT1040A tester for 400G Networks at the Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) virtual exhibition instead of travelling to San Diego, California, USA.

The Network Master Pro MT1040A is a compact, battery-driven 400G measuring instrument with directly inserted QSFP-DD or OSFP measurement modules.

To date, 400G Ethernet has been used mainly in data centres, but the recent rapid growth in data traffic driven by rollout of 5G commercial services and expected future appearance of self-driving vehicles is seeing deployment of 400G Ethernet at non-data centre locations. The MT1040A supports 400G tests but also 10M~100G Ethernet, OTN, eCPRI/CPRI, SDH/SONET, and Fibre Channel onsite measurements. It can also be combined with an optional OTDR module for fibre line maintenance as well as with a GPS module for remote measurements using GPS. The integrated auto-test functions help operators perform identical tests to obtain quantitative test results, for onsite efficiency.

The Network Master Pro MT1040A is a portable measuring instrument for evaluating the transmission quality of various networks operating at communications speeds from 10Mbits per second to 400Gbits per second. With an evaluation interface supporting SFP/SFP+/SFP28, QSFP+/QSFP28/QSFP-DD, and OSFP optical modules, the MT1040A can be customised easily for any application, says Anritsu.

When combined with the MU100020A, MU100021A, MU100022A, or MU100023A OTDR modules for fibre tests and the high performance GPS Disciplined MU100090A, it measures latency between remote fibre segments.

A full suite of tools is available for easy editing of each test scenario as well as automation tools for one-button operation of complex tests.

Anritsu has provided communications test and measurement equipment solutions for 120 years. The company engages customers as partners to help develop wireless, optical, microwave/RF, and digital solutions for R&D, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance applications, as well as multi-dimensional service assurance solutions for network monitoring and optimisation. Anritsu also provides precision microwave/RF components, optical devices, and high-speed electrical devices for communication products and systems. The company develops advanced solutions for 5G, M2M, IoT, as well as other emerging and legacy wireline and wireless communication markets. Anritsu has offices in over 90 countries worldwide

http://www.anritsu.com 

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Development tool focuses on automotive gateway prototyping

For prototyping automotive smart gateway and domain controller applications, STMicroelectronics offers the Smart Gateway Platform.

As automotive architectures have evolved to include high throughput in-vehicle networking and high data-rate connectivity to the cloud, the demand for high-performance smart gateway and domain controller electronic control units (ECUs) has also increased, observed ST.

Its modular Smart Gateway Platform (SGP) is built on gigabit Ethernet (GbE) communication between the secure ASIL-B Telemaco3P microprocessor and the ASIL-D SPC58/Chorus microcontroller. This delivers powerful processing capability to handle firewall functionalities, predictive maintenance, over-the-air (OTA) upgrades and high data-rate communication among different ECUs and to the cloud.

The Chorus microcontroller provides real-time, low power, and secure in-vehicle connectivity through its multiple CAN-FD interfaces, explains ST. The Telemaco3P microprocessor delivers dual Arm Cortex A7 processing power with Posix OS support to extend gateway computational capabilities and an embedded Security Module handles OTA updates, firewall and predictive-maintenance functions.

The SGP reference design has in-vehicle network interfaces including multiple Ethernet and CAN ports as well as support for LIN and FlexRay connections. A comprehensive starter package includes hardware design files, hardware/software documentation, software utilities (drivers and flashers) and sample applications.

The SGP also integrates expansion connections to Wi-Fi and LTE modules for full prototyping of use cases requiring cloud-connectivity simulation. The modular architecture provides a framework for scalability in performance, networking, and software, adds ST.

http://www.st.com

Please visit http://www.st.com/smart-gateway-platform for further information.

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