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New wireless-charging boards from ST for industrial, medical, and smart-home applications

Fri, May 24, 2024

ST has introduced a 50W, Qi-compatible transmitter and receiver combination to accelerate development of wireless charging for high-power applications such as medical and industrial equipment, home appliances, and computer peripherals.

Using ST’s new wireless-charging solution, innovators can leverage the convenience and speed of wireless charging in applications that demand a higher power and shorter charging interval. These applications include vacuum cleaners, cordless power tools, drones and other mobile robots, medical drug delivery devices, portable ultrasound systems, stage-lighting and mobile lighting, printers, and scanners. Free from cables, connectors, and complex docking arrangements, these products can become simpler, more affordable, and more robust.

The STEVAL-WBC2TX50 transmitter board is capable of delivering up to 50W of output power using the ST Super Charge (STSC) protocol. STSC is ST’s proprietary protocol for wireless charging at a faster rate than the standard protocols used with smartphones and similar devices, allowing quicker recharging of larger batteries. The board also supports the Qi 1.3 5W Baseline Power Profile (BPP) and 15W Extended Power Profile (EPP). The main component on-board is ST’s STWBC2-HP transmitter system-in-package, which combines an STM32G071 Arm Cortex-M0 microcontroller and an application-specific front end. The front end provides signal conditioning and frequency control, a high-resolution PWM generator to drive the transmitter, and operates with any DC voltage from 4.1V to 24V. It also contains MOSFET gate drivers and a D+/D- interface for USB Power Delivery. In addition, the STWBC2-HP SiP can work with ST’s STSAFE-A110 secure element to provide Qi authentication.

The STEVAL-WLC98RX receiver board is built to handle up to 50W charging power, to safely accommodate the full STSC capability as well as BPP and EPP charging. Features include support for Adaptive Rectifier Configuration (ARC), which extends charging distance by up to 50% to allow lower-cost coils and more flexible configurations. Accurate voltage and current measurement for Foreign Object Detection (FOD), thermal management, and system protection are also provided. This board uses ST’s STWLC98 wireless power receiver IC, which contains a Cortex-M3 core and an integrated high efficiency synchronous-rectifier power stage with programmable output voltage up to 20V.

Dedicated software tools, ST’s STSW-WPSTUDIO for the STEVAL-WLC98RX and STSW-WBC2STUDIO for the STEVAL-WBC2TX50 are available to modify the configuration parameters, tailoring the operation of the device to the needs of customised applications. A comprehensive set of design documents is also available to assist development.

https://www.st.com/wirelesspower

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Infineon launches new NFC tag for contactless authentication and secured configuration of IoT devices

Fri, May 24, 2024

The number of IoT devices is rapidly increasing, and they have already become a part of every industry. However, as the number of smart devices increases, so do the demands on the user experience in terms of simplicity of device configuration and pairing. To address this, Infineon has launched the OPTIGA Authenticate NBT, a high-performance NFC I2C bridge tag for single-tap authentication and secured configuration of IoT devices. It is the only asymmetric cryptography tag for sign and verify operations in the market certified as a Type 4 Tag by the NFC Forum. OPTIGA Authenticate NBT enables ultra-fast and seamless data exchange even with large data volumes. It enables contactless NFC (Near Field Communication) communication between IoT devices and contactless readers such as smartphones. It can be used for various applications, such as secured configuration of electronic devices without a display, activation of shared mobility vehicles, passive commissioning of unpowered smart light bulbs prior to installation, and data logging on patient health monitors.

OPTIGA Authenticate NBT offers superior security with Infineon’s Integrity Guard 32 security architecture, and the EAL6+ certification for both the hardware and the crypto libraries. The tag supports both symmetric and asymmetric cryptographic authentication as well as pass-through and asynchronous data transfer modes.

The device uses TEGRION hardware and enables a contactless interface speed of up to 848 Kbit/s and an I2C interface that supports up to 1 Mbits/s which results in the best performance values, particularly important for demanding applications. The NFC I2C bridge tag offers 8 KB of generous memory to store customer and application-specific configuration information. In addition, the high on-chip capacitance enables smaller antenna designs, optimising both BOM costs and space requirements.

Samples of OPTIGA Authenticate NBT are available now, and the devices will become available to the broader market in August 2024. The OPTIGA Authenticate NBT Development Shield and the OPTIGA Authenticate NBT development kit are also available to facilitate evaluation and design-in. In addition, developers can access technical documentation and extensive host-side integration support without having to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

https://www.infineon.com

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Advantech unveils palm-size intelligent edge computers

Fri, May 24, 2024

Advantech has announced the release of the ARK-1125 series, a new line of palm-size fanless box PCs powered by Intel’s latest N200 (from the N-series) and X7211E (from the X-series) processors. The ARK-1125 series features ultra-compact, ruggedised units designed to operate in a wide temperature range (-30 ~ 60°C; -22 ~ 140°F). Despite their small size (133 x 46.4 x 94.2mm; 5.24″ x 1.83″ x 3.71″), these box PCs offer plenty of connectivity options to link with various devices and peripherals, making them suitable for most factory automation needs.

The ARK-1125 series also supports integration with M.2 AI accelerator cards, 5G/LTE, Wi-Fi modules, and NVMe SSDs, enabling real-time intelligence and boosting efficiency and productivity in factory and smart city applications. On top of all that, on-board TPM 2.0 and DeviceOn software provide one more layer of security and remote management capabilities. With their palm-size form factor, rugged design, wide operating temperature range, and IP4X rating, these box PCs are perfect for space-constrained applications such as manufacturing conveyors and kiosks.

The ARK-1125 series comes in two configurations with varying I/O to suit different application scenarios.

Human Machine Interfaces: ARK-1125H
The ARK-1125H model features an Intel® N200 (Alder Lake N) processor and supports 16GB of DDR5-4800 memory. It offers plenty of external I/O options for connecting peripherals, including 2 x GbE (up to 2500 Mbps), 2 x RS-232/422/485, 2 x USB 3.2, 2 x USB 2.0, and 2 x HDMI ports. Additionally, the ARK-1125H supports Wi-Fi and 5G modules and includes selected wireless modules certified by RED for EU countries. This version is also certified for ChromeOS Flex, ARK-1125H, making it suitable for a range of businesses and enterprise applications, including interactive AI applications. The compact size of the ARK-1125H allows it to be installed in space-limited environments like kiosks. It features dual GbE and dual HDMI ports for network and display connections. Its wireless communication capabilities are perfectly suited to meet the demands of data upload and download for kiosk applications.

Industrial Automation: ARK-1125C
The ARK-1125C model features an Intel® x7211E (Alder Lake N) processor and supports 16GB of DDR5-4800 memory. Its versatile external I/O options enable various connections, including 4 x RS-232/422/4851, 1 x GbE (up to 2500 Mbps), 2 x USB 3.2, 2 x USB 2.0, and 1 x HDMI port. Internal interfaces include M.2 2230 E-Key, 2242 M-Key and 2280 B-Key slots, supporting NVMe SSDs, wireless modules, and AI accelerator cards such as the HAILO 8, with an M.2 form factor, enabling AI applications at the edge in smart factories. Moreover, ARK-1125C, with its selected memory and SSD, is Energy Star certified, ensuring power and cost savings while promoting environmentally friendliness.

Customisation services
For customers requiring customised solutions, Advantech’s European DMS team offers a wide range of local design and manufacturing services.

https://www.advantech.com/

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TimeProvider from Microchip offers embedded BlueSky firewall technology to detect security threats

Thu, May 23, 2024

Critical infrastructure such as public utilities, transportation and mobile networks depend on time to synchronise their networks. The primary source of time comes from national timing systems like Global Position Satellite (GPS), but GPS signals are susceptible to jamming and spoofing attacks. To continue to provide critical infrastructure operators with a secure timing solution, Microchip has announced the release of version 2.4 of the TimeProvider 4100 grandmaster firmware with an embedded BlueSky firewall function to detect potential threats and validate GNSS before using the signal as a time reference.

The TimeProvider 4100 series v2.4 also implements IEEE 1588 power profiles, which enables gateway capabilities between PTP telecom and power profiles. With this device, utility companies can connect the communication and substation networks to support the convergence of Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) networks as operators continue to modernise.

The growth of emerging private networks continues to increase in a variety of locations like factories, stadiums and mines. These private networks can now be synchronised with the TimeProvider 4100 series v2.4 equipped with the Time Sensitive Network (TSN) profile 802.1.AS. This functionality provides private networks with a more accurate and autonomous time system to coordinate private network Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Depending on their unique deployment requirements, operators need grandmasters that can scale to support very few clients up to many clients. The TP4100 v2.4 can serve 2,000 Precise Time Protocol (PTP) clients, providing the capability to synchronise a large number of base stations with precise time without having to deploy multiple grandmasters.

As existing legacy communication signal deployments age, there is a need to migrate these installations to a modern and modular architecture. The TimeProvider 4100 series v2.4 provides a new operation mode that includes the filtering of legacy input signals and provides the ability to serve as a Synchronisation Supply Unit (SSU), enabling the migration of large SSU environments to a TimeProvider server architecture. This presents a combination of new protocols such as PTP, NTP, SyncE and legacy signals at a large scale, allowing operators to ensure legacy services remain, while affording the capability to provide modern synchronisation signals to support the newer network architectures.

Resiliency is necessary for synchronisation solutions serving critical infrastructures. A failure can lead to degradation or a complete loss of service, thereby affecting customer satisfaction. Software redundancy contributes to the resiliency of the TimeProvider 4100 series because it enables two grandmasters to be synchronised in an Active/Standby model so network clients can be served by the Standby unit if the Active unit encounters a disruption. Another important and valuable feature of the TimeProvider 4100 series v2.4 is the additional model for redundancy, allowing two units to operate in Active/Active mode, providing flexibility depending on the customer’s preference. Customers employing the Active/Active mode can benefit from the two grandmasters designed to operate at all times, as compared to the Active/Standby configuration where one device is not used while remaining in the standby mode.

The TimeProvider 4100 series v2.4 is integrated with the TimePictra Synchronisation Management System to provide users a complete view of their synchronisation operation and health across their network.

https://www.microchip.com

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New wireless-charging boards from ST for industrial, medical, and smart-home applications

Infineon launches new NFC tag for contactless authentication and secured configuration of IoT devices

Advantech unveils palm-size intelligent edge computers

TimeProvider from Microchip offers embedded BlueSky firewall technology to detect security threats

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