Smart Cities

15W and 20W AC/DC converters target IoT and smart homes

Tue, Jun 19, 2018

Recom’s latest 15W and 20W AC/DC power supplies are designed for low power Internet of Things (IoT) and household applications.

Based on the footprint of the compact RAC10-K modules, these new modules feature high-efficiency over a wide load range and minimal standby power consumption.

The RAC15-K and RAC20-K series are PCB-mount AC/DC modules with ultra-low energy losses especially in light load conditions. This suits them to for the always-on and standby mode operations needed for IoT and smart home devices. Based on the latest developments of integrated power, a next level of efficiency has been reached allowing 20W of power in a modular 2 in x 1 in case size.

These AC/DC converters have a universal mains input range of 85VAC up to 264VAC for worldwide use and come with international safety certifications for industrial, AV and ITE as well as household standards.

Both the RAC15-K and RAC20-K operate within a temperature range of -40 degrees C to +80 degrees C and offer fully protected 5VDC single outputs.

The complete range of single output (5 to 48VDC), dual output options (12 and 15VDC) and wired versions will be available in autumn 2018.

According to Recom, these devices easily meet EMC class B far below the limits without the need for any external components.

This news story is brought to you by softei.com, the specialist site dedicated to delivering information about what’s new in the electronics industry, with daily news updates, new products and industry news.         

To stay up-to-date, register to receive our weekly newsletters and keep informed of the latest technology news and new products from around the globe. Simply click this link to register here: softei.com

Readers can also register to receive the monthly newsletter from our sister site, weartechdesign.com. This is the only website dedicated to developers of wearable electronic products. Simply click this link to register: weartechdesign.com

http://www.recompower.com

> Read More

Power line communication (PLC) modem prepares for smart energy equipment

Wed, Jun 13, 2018

The PL360B PLC modem supports multiple standard and proprietary protocols used in smart grid infrastructure. According to Microchip, it enables manufacturers to respond to the utility companies’ need to improve the reliability and performance of smart meters and to address multiple markets, end-customer regulations and operational requirements. The single device can be adapted with firmware, reducing development costs and time to market.

The PL360B is designed to support PLC protocols in the frequency band up to 500kHz, such as ITU G.9903 (G3-PLC) and ITU G.9904 (Prime), as well as Cenelec, FCC and ARIB-compliant applications. The PL360B modem is supplied with reference designs for adding a PLC interface to any end-customer application requiring connectivity, including smart meters, lighting, home automation, building automation and remote control.

The PL360B modem offers up to a 25 per cent improvement in power consumption over previous generations, and has a Class D amplification scheme that optimises the modem transmission efficiency further.

The ATPL360 evaluation kit includes two evaluation boards to establish point-to-point communication. The kit includes PC tools designed to evaluate the performance of the PL360B, including a PHY tester for point-to-point test, PLC “sniffer” to capture PLC traffic in a deployed network and a PLC manager to manage the resulting network. G3-PLC and Prime-PLC communications firmware is provided free of charge.

A variety of reference designs is also available for a complete electricity meter with PLC, for a single PLC modem and for a master PLC device in charge of mastering the complete network of PLC nodes. All reference designs come with design files, bill of materials and schematics.

The PL360B and ATPL360 evaluation kit are available now.

This news story is brought to you by softei.com, the specialist site dedicated to delivering information about what’s new in the electronics industry, with daily news updates, new products and industry news.

To stay up-to-date, register to receive our weekly newsletters and keep informed of the latest technology news and new products from around the globe. Simply click this link to register here:  softei.com

Readers can also register to receive the monthly newsletter from our sister site, weartechdesign.com. This is the only website dedicated to developers of wearable electronic products. Simply click this link to register: weartechdesign.com

We have a Fitbit to give away on both Softei.com and Weartechdesign.com! Register today to enter the competition to win a Fitbit at softei.com or weartechdesign.com.

http://www.microchip.com/PL360B

> Read More

Mouser offers NXP’s i.MX 8M processors for A/V and smart home use

Wed, Jun 13, 2018

Semiconductor and components distributor, Mouser Electronics, now stocks the i.MX 8M family of applications processors from NXP Semiconductors. The i.MX 8M family is designed to enable embedded designers to meet the new standards of user interface, intelligence and connectivity set by consumer electronic devices. The processors can be used to increase video, graphic, and audio system requirements for smart home and smart IoT applications, such as streaming video devices, streaming audio devices, industrial tablets, medical and fitness, digital signage, and general-purpose human machine interface (HMI) solutions.

The NXP i.MX 8M processors integrate a general-purpose Arm Cortex-M4F core for real-time low-power processing, a GC7000Lite graphics processor, and either two (i.MX 8M Dual processors) or four (i.MX 8M Quad and QuadLite processors) Arm Cortex-A53 cores running at up to 1.5GHz.

The i.MX 8M quad and i.MX 8M dual processors have hardware acceleration for video playback up to 4K and video decoding in h.265, h.264 and VP9. Both processors support 32-bit audio samples with up a sampling rate to 768kHz. The i.MX 8M QuadLite processor allows for video playback with software decoders if needed, for graphics, processing performance, and high-speed interfaces.

 NXP’s i.MX 8M processors are supported by the i.MX 8MQuad evaluation kit, which provides several memory options, a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port, USB 3.0 connectors, and PCIe high-speed interfaces. The board includes connectors for HDMI 2.0, MIPI-DSI for local displays, two MIPI-CSIs for camera input, USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, an audio interface expansion connector, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Mouser strives to empower innovation among design engineers and buyers by delivering advanced technologies. It claims to stock the world’s widest selection of the latest semiconductors and electronic components for the newest design projects. Mouser Electronics’ website is continually updated and offers advanced search methods to help customers quickly locate inventory. Mouser.com also houses data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, and engineering tools.

http://www.mouser.com

> Read More

Global Smart Home Market to Hit $155 Billion by 2023

Thu, May 31, 2018

Global Smart Home market rises 16% in 2017 to $84B; Strategy Analytics’ forecast predicts $155B by 2023. According to the report, “2018 Global Smart Home Market Forecast”

The global smart home market ended on an upbeat note in 2017 reaching $84 billion, up 16% from $72 billion in 2016 according to a report just released by Strategy Analytics . According to the report, “ 2018 Global Smart Home Market Forecast ”, worldwide consumer spending on smart home devices, systems and services will total nearly $96 billion in 2018 and grow at 10% CAGR over the forecast period (2018 to 2023) to $155 billion. North America will account for 41% of total spending or $40 billion, followed by the Asia-Pacific region at $26 billion and Western Europe at $17 billion.

New offerings from big brand tech firms such as Amazon, Google (Nest), ADT and Samsung are driving adoption in North America. In Europe, UK-based Centrica Connected Homes’ Hive along with Deutsche Telekom’s Magenta Home, Germany’s eQ-3 and the Netherlands Enco’s Toon are stimulating market demand. In Asia-Pacific, China’s Xiaomi, Korean service provider LG U+, Japan’s iTSCOM and Panasonic, as well as, Origin and Telstra in Australia are powering the market.

“The market continues to mature,” stated Bill Ablondi, Director of Strategy Analytics’ Smart Home Strategies advisory service. “Consumer awareness is rising, prices are coming down, and the technology is becoming more intuitive. Yet, there is still a high degree of fragmentation, with numerous firms competing for smart home consumers. Who will ultimately succeed in capturing growth in this market remains unclear.”

About Strategy Analytics

Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success.

> Read More

About Smart Cities

This news story is brought to you by smartcitieselectronics.com, the specialist site dedicated to delivering information about what’s new in the Smart City Electronics industry, with daily news updates, new products and industry news. To stay up-to-date, register to receive our weekly newsletters and keep yourself informed on the latest technology news and new products from around the globe. Simply click this link to register here: Smart Cities Registration