Microchip brings enhanced code protection and up to 15W of power delivery to its USB microcontroller portfolio

The well-known advantages of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface for embedded designs include its compatibility with various devices, streamlined communication protocol, in-field updatability and power delivery capabilities. To help easily incorporate this functionality into embedded systems, Microchip has launched the AVR DU family of microcontrollers (MCUs). As the next generation of Microchip 8-bit MCUs to integrate USB connectivity, the AVR DU family is designed to provide enhanced security features and higher power delivery than previous iterations.

“USB is the standard communication protocol and power delivery method for electronic devices,” said Greg Robinson, corporate vice president of Microchip’s 8-bit MCU business unit. “Microchip’s AVR DU family combines the flexibility of our most advanced 8-bit MCUs with the versatility of enhanced power delivery to bring the benefits of USB to a wider range of embedded systems.”

AVR DU MCUs support power delivery of up to 15W from the USB interface, a capability not commonly found in other USB microcontrollers within its class. This feature enables USB-C® charging with currents up to 3A at 5V, making these MCUs an excellent choice for devices like portable power banks and rechargeable toys.

To strengthen its defence against malicious attacks, the AVR DU family incorporates Microchip’s Program and Debug Interface Disable (PDID) feature. When enabled, the enhanced code protection is designed to lock out access to the programming/debugging interface and block unauthorised attempts to read, modify or erase firmware. To enable secure firmware updates, the AVR DU family employs Read-While-Write (RWW) Flash and, when combined with a secure bootloader, designers can use the USB interface for patching bugs, addressing security concerns and adding new features without disrupting product operation. This updated functionality in the AVR DU MCUs is designed to allow for uninterrupted, in-field updates to help extend the lifetime value of products.

Additionally, the AVR DU family helps reduce overall design and Bill of Material (BOM) costs through a USB clock recovery feature, which eliminates the need for a costly external crystal. Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) enable designers to incorporate main device functions and system management tasks onto a compact, single-chip solution, saving board space and reducing design effort.

Developers of a wide range of embedded designs, from fitness wearables and home appliances to agricultural and industrial applications, can benefit from incorporating the highly efficient AVR DU MCUs into their designs.

https://www.microchip.com

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Infineon announces next-generation PSOC Edge portfolio featuring powerful AI capabilities

Infineon has released details of its new PSOC Edge family of microcontrollers (MCUs) optimised for machine learning (ML) applications. The three new PSOC Edge MCU series, E81, E83 and E84 offer a scalable and compatible range of performance, features, and memory options. They are all supported with comprehensive system design tools and software that enable developers to quickly move from concept to product and bring new ML-enabled Internet of Thing (IoT), consumer and industrial applications to market.

“Next-generation IoT edge devices continue to require more performance without compromising power,” said Steve Tateosian, SVP of Industrial MCUs, IoT, Wireless and Compute Business, Infineon. “Infineon’s innovative new PSOC Edge E8 series of devices use ML capabilities to compute responsive AI while balancing performance and power requirements and providing embedded security for connected home devices, wearables, and industrial applications. As a leading provider of MCUs, we are committed to delivering solutions that extend the capabilities of future IoT systems.”

Infineon’s new PSOC Edge E81, E83 and E84 microcontrollers are based on the high-performance Arm Cortex-M55, including Arm Helium DSP support paired with Arm Ethos-U55, and Cortex-M33 paired with Infineon’s ultra-low power NNLite — a proprietary hardware accelerator intended to accelerate neural networks. In addition, all three series support extensive peripheral sets, on chip memory, robust hardware security features and a variety of connectivity options including USB HS/FS with PHY CAN, Ethernet, WiFi 6, BTBLE and Matter. The PSOC Edge E81 utilises the Arm Helium DSP technology along with Infineon NNLite Neural Network (NN) accelerator. The PSOC Edge E83 and E84 include the Arm Ethos-U55 micro-NPU processor, which provides a 480x improvement in ML performance compared to existing Cortex-M systems, and they support the Infineon NNlite neural network accelerator for ML applications in the low-power compute domain.
Target applications for the PSOC Edge E8x series include Human Machine Interface (HMI) in appliances and industrial devices, smart home and security systems, robotics, and wearables. All three series support voice/audio sensing for activation and control, while the E83 and E84 MCUs deliver increased capabilities for advanced HMI implementations, including ML-based wake-up, and vision-based position detection and face/object recognition. The PSOC Edge E84 series adds low-power graphics display (up to 1028×768) to the extensive feature set.

PSOC Edge E8 MCUs offer designers a full family of system and full software compatible devices. Hardware design support includes an evaluation base board with Arduino expansion header, sensor suite, BLE connectivity for provisioning and Wi-Fi for smart phone and cloud connectivity.

As with all Infineon MCUs, the series is supported by Infineon’s ModusToolbox software platform, which provides a collection of development tools, libraries, and embedded runtime assets for a flexible and comprehensive development experience. ModusToolbox supports a wide range of use cases including consumer IoT, industrial, smart home, and wearables.

Imagimob Studio is an Edge AI development platform, integrated into ModusToolbox, that delivers end-to-end ML development capability, from data in to model deployed. Starter projects and Imagimob’s Ready Models make it simple to get started. When used with PSOC Edge, Imagimob makes it possible to rapidly build and deploy state of the art machine learning models for the edge.

https://www.infineon.com/PSOCedge.

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ST boosts sensing creativity with new all-in-one MEMS Studio desktop software solution

ST’ MEMS Studio is a new all-in-one tool for MEMS sensor evaluation and development, connected closely with the STM32 microcontroller ecosystem and available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux operating systems.

By unifying the sensor-development workflow, from evaluation to configuration and programming, MEMS Studio accelerates development and simplifies bringing rich contextual awareness to users’ projects. Enhanced features help easily acquire and clearly visualise sensor data to explore the operating modes and optimise performance and accuracy. There are also tools for pre-built library testing, as well as convenient drag-and-drop algorithm creation for intuitive, no-code development of STM32 MCU firmware.

MEMS Studio supports the wide portfolio of ST MEMS sensors, including motion sensors, environmental sensors, and infrared sensors. It provides tools to explore and use all the sensors’ features including the finite state machine (FSM) and embedded edge AI in inertial modules for power-efficient inferencing directly in the sensor. These include creating and managing decision trees in sensors equipped with ST’s machine-learning core (MLC), monitoring interrupts status, and testing advanced features like FIFO, pedometer, and freefall detection embedded in the sensor.

MEMS Studio also offers a new experience for analysing sensor data in runtime and offline, where users can visualise, label, and edit the data for the best algorithm implementation. Spectrogram analysis and fast Fourier transform (FFT) are also available and help understand the sensor signal for the best detection of the sensing application target.

Users can choose from a wide variety of compatible development boards, including STM32 Nucleo expansion boards, sensor adapters, and ST’s multi-sensor evaluation kits. These comprise the SensorTile.box PRO, STWIN.box, and STEVAL-MKI109V3 professional MEMS adapter motherboard with adjustable power settings and a STM32F401VE MCU on-board.

As creative use of MEMS sensors continues to drive innovation in cutting-edge applications, MEMS Studio empowers designers to add new and more advanced functions in next-generation high-tech products. Its release promotes the development of smart appliances, medical wearables, and technology for digital healthcare, smart buildings and factories, robotics, asset tracking, and smart driving.

Consolidating and extending the features of established sensor-development tools including AlgoBuilder, Unico-GUI, and Unicleo-GUI, MEMS Studio is available now to download, free of charge, from https://www.st.com/mems-studio.

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Integrated LQ050XX load switch ICs from Littelfuse now at Rutronik

Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, Littelfuse’s LQ050XX integrated load switch ICs offer the industry’s highest performance with ultra-low power consumption. They make it possible to reduce parasitic leakage currents, improve system efficiency, and extend battery life. That means a real upgrade for a wide range of applications, e.g. in wearables, smart homes, or IoT devices.

The integrated load switch ICs are available in different housing sizes from 0.77 mm x 0.77 mm x 0.46 mm to 0.97 mm x 1.47 mm x 0.55 mm. Their small size makes them particularly suitable for applications with limited space. The switches are robust, particularly power-saving and, thanks to the cutting-edge technology they contain, can deliver market-leading performance in terms of low quiescent current and switch-off current. In addition, they impress with low power losses and reduced leakage currents for extremely convincing efficiency.

The ICs are available in the following versions:
LQ05021QCS4:
The load switch delivers 2 A rated power. The integrated slew rate control improves system reliability and reduces voltage fluctuations on the bus. Together with its outstanding efficiency, this makes it the ideal solution for applications such as IoT or wearables.
LQ05021RCS4:
The IC has a high efficiency and the leading True Reverse Current Blocking (TRCB) technology. Together with a particularly low threshold voltage, the LQ05021RCS4 prevents reverse current when Vout exceeds Vin, minimises power loss during operation, and offers an extremely low switch-off current. The switch is predestined for wearables, portable electrical devices, or IoT applications.
LQ05022QCS4:
This switch is also equipped with slew rate control, which limits the inrush current and thus minimises the voltage drop. The LQ05022QCS4 supports a wide input voltage range, which optimises both the service life and the reliability of a system. The component can also be used in different voltage rails. Preferred applications include data storage, IoT devices, or low-power subsystems.
LQ05041QCS6
The LQ05041QCS6 has a rated power of 4 A. It has an integrated slew rate control and also a slew rate control. With six bumps and a size of 0.97 mm x 1.47 mm x 0.55 mm, it is particularly small and is primarily used in data storage, or the medical sector.
LQ05041RCS6
With its leading TRCB technology and extremely low threshold voltage, the switch prevents reverse currents and minimises power loss during operation. Its main areas of application include portable devices and power-saving subsystems.

https://www.rutronik24.de/

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