Global automotive telematics market to quadruple

Boom time as 68m cars ship with telematics by 2016



Global shipments of automotive telematics systems are set to rise to 84.4 million units in 2016, up by a factor of more than four from 19.3 million in 2008, according to iSuppli.
“From sending out an automatic distress call after a car crash, to enabling remote diagnosis of engine troubles, telematics can provide enormous benefits to motorists and car makers around the world,” said Anna Buettner, analyst with iSuppli’s automotive research service. “For drivers, telematics can enhance safety, convenience and connectivity. For car OEMs, telematics can add to and improve car functionality and reduce warranty and after-sales costs. That’s why carmakers and consumers are expected to increase their adoption of telematics systems rapidly during the next seven years.”
By 2016, 68.4 million cars will ship with telematics systems installed by OEMs, up from 14.3 million in 2008. This means that 84.6 percent of all cars shipped in 2016 will incorporate telematics systems.
Aftermarket shipments of telematics systems will rise to just under 16 million units in 2016, up from slightly less than 5 million in 2008.
Beyond accident alerts and remote diagnosis, telematics functions span from the wireless integration of third-party devices, to navigation and Location-Based Services (LBS) updates, to theft detection, to engine control software revisions.
The United States is the world’s leading market for telematics in 2009, with 30 percent of all models sold in the country available with installed systems. In comparison, the next two biggest telematics nations, Germany and Italy, have only 20 percent model availability of installed telematics systems.
The U.S. leadership is due to General Motors (GM), which pioneered installed telematics in 1996 with its OnStar service. The company has made OnStar a standard feature on all its cars this year.
“With GM selling 2 million cars with installed telematics per year, competitors have been forced to react,” Buettner said. “In the intervening years, Ford, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Nissan and Toyota all launched telematics systems.”
Western European telematics volume remains low because no major OEM in the region has made the feature standard on every car. Japan also is deploying telematics in low volumes, and the applications are focused on navigation functionality and infotainment.
However, as telematics becomes more available in other regions, U.S. domination will dwindle. The United States in 2009 accounts for about half of the global installed OEM telematics market. By 2016, the United States will account for about one third of the worldwide market as shipments in other regions soar.

Embedded v. mobile device telematics

Two major types of telematics solutions are being offered on the market: embedded systems, whose functionality is integrated into the headunit of cars; and mobile-device oriented systems, which use a wireless product like a cell phone to communicate information.
Both embedded and mobile device telematics systems are on rapid growth paths. Worldwide OEM embedded telematics systems will grow from nearly 4.8 million units in 2008 to more than 26.8 million systems in 2016.
Meanwhile, global OEM mobile device telematics systems will grow from 9.5 million units in 2008 to more than 41.5 million systems in 2016.

Netbook on a credit card with world’s first i.MX51 DIMM module

Runs Windows CE and Linux, measures only 67.6 x 26 x 4.2 mm



Strategic Test has developed the world’s first Freescale i.MX51 processor-based System on Module (SOM). The TX51 measures just 67.6 x 26 x 4.2 mm (2.6” x 1” x 0.16”) and contains an ARM8 Cortex 800 MHz i.MX51 processor coupled with 128 MB mobile DDR-SDRAM, 128 MB NAND Flash memory and a 200-pin SODIMM connector, giving it the power of today's netbooks in a credit card format.
The i.MX51 multimedia applications processors offer high performance processing optimized for the lowest power consumption for smartbooks, netbooks, and other consumer and industrial applications including: portable media players, gaming consoles, secure handheld devices and applications requiring an advanced HMI. The TX51 is targeted at embedded multimedia applications where size, high-cpu performance and low power consumption are critical factors.
"Time to market is always important for developers, and especially so in the fast moving multimedia market. The TX51 module offers the performance, features and ease-of-use to slash development time,” said Bob Giblett, President of Strategic Test.
Key features include: LCD resolution up to 1280 x 768 pixels at 24 bpp, OpenGL ES 2.0 and OpenVG 1.1 hardware accelerators, Multi-format HD 720p video decoder and D1 video encoder engine, Camera interface, NEON SIMD media accelerator, Vector Floating Point Unit, High-speed USB 2.0 OTG and Host, 10/100 Mbps Ethernet. Interfaces include: UART(3), SDIO(2), SSI/AC97/I2S(2), I2C, CSPI, Keypad, External memory interface.
The TX51 is pin-compatible with the existing i.MX27 and I.MX25 processor-based modules. The modules can be supplied with the Development Kit-5 hardware reference platform that includes support for Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 6.0 and Linux 2.6.
The TX51 module accepts an input voltage from various sources:
1-cell Li-Ion/Polymer (3.0V to 4.2V)
5.0V USB supply or AC wall adapter
3.3V
The TX51 is priced at 159 Euro in quantities from 1 to 249 and is sampling from January 2010. Production volumes will be available in Q1/2010.

WiFi and Coldfire on embedded tower development system

Modular development platform helps save months of development time through rapid prototyping and tool re-use



Freescale Semiconductor has launched a rapid evaluation and prototyping development system with two interchangeable peripheral modules and 8- and 32-bit microcontroller (MCU) modules for the Tower System.
The advanced peripheral modules offer developers 802.11b Wi-Fi and rapid prototyping functionality while the newest MCU modules support Freescale’s MCF5225X 32-bit ColdFire MCU and MC9S08LL64 8-bit MCU.
"With the addition of these advanced modules for Freescale’s Tower System, we are providing designers, students and hobbyists an affordable development system that’s modular and expandable,” said Aiden Mitchell, director of Freescale’s Industrial & Multi-Market Microcontroller business. “The Tower system, in conjunction with Freescale MQX software, is the ultimate enablement solution – giving designers an array of building blocks for entry-level to advanced processor development and helping speed time to market.”
The Tower System provides a comprehensive and highly customisable embedded design environment that allows developers to mix and match MCU and peripheral boards to create reconfigurable development platforms that suit their design needs. Interchangeable modules promote reuse of hardware across multiple architectures, which helps speed time to market. The modular design scales down overall tool costs, while providing an inexpensive entry point.

Advanced MCU modules

The Tower System now supports two advanced microcontroller modules: the TWR-MCF5225X and the TWR-S08LL64, featuring the ColdFire V2 MCF5225X MCU and the 8-bit MC9S08LL64 MCU, respectively. These modules can be combined with various peripheral modules to form a unique Tower System development tool or used as standalone debug tools.
The TWR-MCF5225X offers a powerful and flexible industrial connectivity solution with on-chip USB, Ethernet, controller area network (CAN) and encryption, along with the Freescale MQX real time operating system and associated tools and software stacks. The 8-bit MC9S08LL64 MCU includes an on-chip LCD driver that supports up to eight backplanes, enabling developers to drive more segments with fewer pins, reducing system cost and design complexity. The S08LL family supports an LCD blink mode that operates without waking up the controller core, which helps reduce overall power consumption.
These advanced modules complement the previously announced TWR-MCF51CN Ethernet MCU module.

WiFi peripheral modules

The Wi-Fi module (TWR-ZGWIFI) adds 802.11b Wi-Fi functionality to the Tower System and includes the ZeroG Systems ZG2100 Wi-Fi I/O module and antenna, as well as configuration jumpers and an RS232 debug port. The embedded Wi-Fi module from ZeroG is optimised for embedded applications, with low data rates, power consumption and system resource requirements. The TWR-ZGWIFI module is FCC-certified and offers seamless integration with Freescale’s MQX software solution. With this module, developers can easily add Wi-Fi connectivity and run sample applications using the kit in less than a few hours.
The prototyping module (TWR-PROTO) allows designers to quickly add custom circuitry and build custom prototype boards with application-specific features. With ample perfboard area, this cost-effective module is ideal for hardware development and testing during system design.
These two peripheral modules complement the previously announced serial module (TWR-SER), supporting Ethernet, USB, RS232, RS485 and CAN, and elevator modules (TWR-ELEV) that connect the MCU and peripheral boards.
The Tower System’s easy-to-use, modular design helps customers control tool costs, from simple concept testing to full product development. A single MCU/MPU module serves as the main control board. Modules simply plug into backplane boards, called “elevators,” through standard PCB edge connectors. Peripheral board re-use eliminates the need to buy and develop redundant hardware, which reduces future costs. In addition, the MCU modules include open-source background debug mode (OSBDM) hardware, allowing each board to serve as a standalone debug tool.
Tower modules are currently available for MCF51CN, MCF5225X and MC9S08LL64 MCUs. In future months, Freescale and its partners plan to provide Tower System support for additional embedded devices, including other ColdFire MCUs, 8-bit MCUs and digital signal controllers (DSCs).
* The TWR-MCF5225X MCU module is available for a suggested resale price of $49
* The TWR-S08LL64 MCU module is available for a suggested resale price of $69
* The TWR-ZGWIFI and TWR-PROTO modules are available now for a suggested resale price of $59 and $14.99, respectively.
* The TWR-MCF5225X-KIT includes the TWR-SER and TWR-ELEV modules and is available for a suggested resale price of $119.
* The TWR-S08LL64-KIT includes the TWR-PROTO and TWR-ELEV modules and is available for a suggested resale price of $99.

Printable programmable logic

Nano ePrint in Manchester has secured a grant for Research and Development from the UK's Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) for a £390k project to demonstrate the world's first printed programmable logic device.
This will be based on developments led by Ian Barton, previously Managing Director of Silistix, who joined Nano ePrint as Vice President of Engineering in May. Ian brings significant experience in the management of integrated circuit design and is leading Nano ePrint's engineering team in the design and production of printed programmable logic devices. Silistix, another spinout of the University of Manchester, develops network on chip technology.
Nano ePrint was formed in 2006 following pioneering research at the University of Manchester in the UK that allows planar nanoelectronic circuits to be built in a single layer of semiconductor via single-step patterning. Nano ePrint’s devices achieve very high speeds while dramatically reducing circuit size and simplifying manufacture. Nano ePrint has also developed a configurable circuit architecture to deliver the world’s first printed programmable logic circuits, allowing one design to simultaneously address multiple applications, opening up prospects in low-cost, high-performance printed electronics across a wide range of markets.

First 1.1in QVGA LED display

OKI Digital Imaging has developed a 1.1 inch QVGA LED display while reducing power consumption to one-tenth that of conventional LCDs.
This is the direct result of development in its LED print head technology that enhances luminance efficiency using an extension of its proprietary Epi Film Bonding technology into a two-dimensional array.
This array has the world’s first 65-micrometer pitch between LED chips to give a high definition image and, as it is self-illuminating, the new display has a faster response, smaller size and lower power than LCD displays that require a separate light source. It also features high contrast (over 5000:1) for high visibility even in bright daylight.
OKI Digital Imaging will manufacture the LED display at the LED manufacturing facility in Gunma prefecture, Japan, that it acquired from Reneasas back in July. Shipments of samples are expected to begin by the end of fiscal year 2010.
“The new technology has made it possible for us to develop a groundbreaking LED display that provides high definition images while maintaining compact dimensions,” said Hiroshi Kikuchi, President of OKI Digital Imaging. “The development of the world’s first thin-film-bonding technology in 2006 marked a significant milestone for the OKI Group. As shown by today’s announcement, that technology laid the foundations for continuing developments in LEDs. The OKI Group plans to leverage the expertise and technical knowledge accumulated over 20 years of experience with LED printing to develop new technologies in other areas and to expand its LED-related businesses.”

Altium targets Poland on software piracy

Design tool vendor Altium is targetting illegal use of its software specifically in Poland, offering an amnesty for just one month for existing users.

Sets December deadline for illegal users

“Piracy of Altium software, both of Altium Designer and older Protel software, is a known problem throughout Poland. With this programme, Altium helps illegal Protel users continue with their favourite EDA tool for another half a year without having to fear legal consequences,” said Jean-Paul Seuren, Licence Compliance Manager EMEA, Altium Europe.
“At the same time, and of much more value to these users, we will help them to move their old Protel projects and legacy data to Altium Designer. Designers will see the benefit from using this next-generation electronics design software and increase their competitiveness in the Polish and worldwide electronics design sector. This software amnesty programme helps illegal users take the first step to battle software piracy.”
Under the new scheme, companies doing electronics design can legalize their illegal copies of Altium’s Protel and Altium Designer software by buying the latest version of Altium Designer at a price of €3,200 that includes half a year amnesty for each legalized seat.
Earlier this year Altium lowered the pricing for Altium Designer to €3,200, a reduction of nearly 70% designed to make electronics design software affordable to every electronics designer. This highlights the key reason why designers were using the tools illegally. The amnesty programme extends that new pricing by adding the support Polish users need to become up-to-date in both compliance and their software.
During this amnesty period, designers can retain their illegal Protel seats to migrate their legacy data to Altium Designer. Altium will also provide free software assurance and support, webinars as well as special migration training. Users will receive an official certificate that enables them to use one unlicensed Protel seat legally for six months for each Altium Designer licence purchased.
Altium’s Value Added Reseller Evatronix SA, based in Bielsko-Biala, will be the local point of contact in Poland to facilitate the software amnesty programme.
Altium Designer is the successor of the well known and widely used Protel PCB design tool but takes a very new and different approach to electronics design. In a single solution, using a single data model, it lets designers create products in all three design domains: PCB layout, programmable hardware (using FPGAs) and software.

Lego robots at Robocon 2009

I can't resist robots, it's just the kid in me! The Annual Robocon Competition took place in Yokohama, Tokyo on November 18. 40 teams from all over the world were competing in various disciplines, including the LEGO MINDSTORMS, in which the Royal Danish Embassy in Tokyo sponsored one of the 'Innovation Prize' awards.

USB3 solid state disk from OCZ

New names in the industry are emerging with USB3.0 coming through (despite the problems at Intel) with OCZ Technology of San Jose teaming up with Symwave to show an external high speed solid state disk (SSD) drive.



Symwave is a fabless chip supplier of SuperSpeed USB3.0 devices with headquarters in Orange County, Calif., and design centers in Shenzhen, China, and San Diego, Calif. “Thanks to Symwave’s industry leading USB 3.0 storage controller, our external SSD device delivers 10x the transfer rate of USB 2.0 at 5Gb/s, as well as several ‘green’ improvements including superior power management and lower CPU utilization,” said Eugene Chang, Vice President of Product Management at the OCZ Technology Group. “OCZ’s products are synonymous with high performance. Combining our USB 3.0 controller with their SSD technology, both architected for performance without compromise, is a perfect match,” said John O’Neill, Vice President of Marketing at Symwave. “CES will be a showcase for new and innovative products that provide consumers with a dramatically improved user experience. Symwave is committed to delivering silicon and software solutions that will transform the way consumers view and use USB storage devices.”
Interestingly, Symwave has seen an investment by networking leader SMSC alongside venture capital firms including Kodiak Venture Partners and CMEA Ventures.

OCZ has just launched the Colossus 3.5” Solid State Drive (SSD) Series, designed to meet the performance and storage demands of high-end desktop users and enterprise clients. Available in up to one terabyte with RAID0 configurations, the Colossus Series marks a milestone in solid state drive technology, making it possible to have both high performance and high capacity in one solution.
“The new Colossus Series is designed to boost desktop and workstation performance and is for high power users that put a premium on speed, reliability and maximum storage capacity,” said Chang. “The Colossus core-architecture is also available to enterprise clients with locked BOMs (build of materials) and customized firmware to match their unique applications.”
The Colossus SSD is available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB with 1.5 million hour mean time between failures (MTBF).

Atom moves into automotive

Kontron's Microspace MPCX28: in-vehicle PC with Intel Atom Z530 processor


Kontron has launched its first in-vehicle PC with extended support, based on the Intel Atom Z530 processor and Intel System Controller Hub US15W, with a flexible PC/104 socket for ultra flat and space-saving PC/104 expansion cards. Further options for customization include 2 PCIe Mini Card Slots for custom specific options such as GPS, GSM/UMTS, and WLAN.
Its fanless design, easy expandability and high flexibility make the precision Swiss-engineered Kontron Microspace MPCX28 Box PC a perfect fit for various applications in busses, cars, trucks, and (automated) heavy-duty vehicles used in intralogistics. In cabs and busses it can be used for passenger infotainment, video surveillance, or ticketing systems. Typical truck applications include CAN-based trailer and goods management, GPS navigation combined with communication via GSM, and UMTS/GPRS for fleet management. For vehicles used in intralogistics, the applications range from the control of automated vehicles, to logistics for forklift trucks with WLAN and barcode/RFID interfaces.
Designed to work in the extended temperature range -25 to 70°C, the passively cooled in-vehicle Kontron Box PC is based on the Intel Atom Z530 1.6 GHz processor with 533 MHz FSB and supports up to 1 GB DDR2 RAM. The embedded graphics feature 256MB of memory DirectX 9 3-D and HDTV support with MPEG2 and H.264 decoders to process compressed HD videos to offload CPU usage. To accommodate storage devices, it provides front side slots for a 2.5" SATA HDD or SDD and Compact Flash media. Thanks to the externally-accessible slots, the change of storage media is quick and simple without the use of tools. This makes it particularly easy to swap out the hard drive within seconds to provide new content for, e.g., infotainment applications. The internal PCI/104 and 2x PCIe MiniCard expansion slots allow for various application-specific extensions, such as Dual-CAN, GPS, GSM/UMTS, and WLAN.

Application specific expansions via ultra flat PC/104 extension cards

The Microspace MPCX28 also features a comprehensive set of interfaces to fulfill the demands of nearly all in-vehicle applications. On the front, two USB 2.0 interfaces and 3.5 mm jacks for stereo output and input are accompanied by a SIM slot for mobile communications. On the back, the new in-vehicle PC offers 2 x Gigabit Ethernet, 2 additional USB 2.0 ports, as well as an SATA port to connect additional storage devices. The DVI-I interface transmits analog or digital video signals to external monitors with a resolution of up to 2,048 x 1536. Two DSUB connectors for COM ports (RS232) and a parallel interface for digital I/O, which provide CAN-bus connectivity via an optional PCI/104 expansion card, round off the feature set.
With a wide-range power supply (8 to 58 VDC), the PC can be directly connected to the vehicle's power supply without additional converters. A plug-in power supply for 110/220 VAC is also available. The system supports remote power on/off and can accommodate customer-specific functions such as wake on ring, event wake up or a wake on LAN.
It is scheduled to be available (with CE and E1 certification) in Q1, 2010 and supports Windows XPe/XP/Vista/7, and Linux.

SME survey of UK companies

The UK's Electronics Leadership Council, distributor Premier Farnell and The UK Electronics Alliance are co-ordinating a survey to gain knowledge from technology-based SMEs on how to better advise government to direct the necessary support for greater economic growth.

The survey is here

All UK based small and medium enterprise (SME) technology companies are encouraged to take part in a survey through to 9th December 2009 developed to garner appropriate support from the UK Government and trade associations to ensure the necessary future economic growth for these SMEs.
The intent of the survey is to gain support to influence regulation and legislation that will encourage success for SMEs, ensuring their views are well understood by government as decisions are made. The findings will also be used to attract funding for business in the UK and develop targeted programmes that make a positive contribution. The ELC and UKEA have excellent lines of communication already established with government that will ensure the issues raised by the survey get directly to those most able to influence change.
A second stage of focus group consultation is planned in early 2010 involving interested survey participants. It is hoped that as many SME’s as possible will complete the initial survey to ensure it will be truly representative of opinion and make a powerful contribution towards shaping the decision making processes of government.
All participants in the survey will have the opportunity to receive a copy of the results once the survey is concluded. All trade associations that participate in the survey will also receive a final copy of the survey findings to distribute to their members.
“In recent months we have met with a number of key government leaders and industry bodies, all of whom want to stimulate growth, innovation and enterprise in the UK. Our industry is critical to leading the market out of the downturn and affecting change on a global scale as the pervasion of technology continues in every aspect of our lives,” said Harriet Green, CEO of Premier Farnell.

MEMS microphones for a dollar from ST and Omron deal

ST Microelectronics has teamed up with Omron to drive the cost of micromachined, highly integrated silicon MEMS microphones.
The deal will see the devices falling to under $1, says ST, using Omron's sensor technology. ST is already the leading supplier of MEMS for consumer and portable applications and the third largest MEMS manufacturer overall. , but will use Omron's MEMS sensor technology.
The key is that ST is the only manufacturer that can mount and package multiple MEMS microphone devices at a time, facilitating high-volume production, using a proven packaging technology very similar to that used for motion sensors.
MEMS microphones can be made smaller than the most compact microphones and are less susceptible to mechanical vibration, temperature variations and electromagnetic interference, which is important in cell phones and other devices with an audio input, such as notebook computers, video recorders, digital cameras, as well as hearing aids or electronic stethoscopes.

“In the past, microphones were the domain of expert acoustics companies, but now it’s time for semiconductor MEMS players to drive the growth of this market. We’re aiming to increase the size of the MEMS microphone market by an order of magnitude,” said Benedetto Vigna, Group Vice President and General Manager of MEMS and Healthcare Division, STMicroelectronics. “This market can explode only with big and long-term committed suppliers, operating their own leading-edge MEMS fabs. Working together with our Japanese friends, we'll drive the microphone market growth as we have done in motion sensors.”

Samples of digital MEMS microphones that integrate ST’s electronic control circuit and OMRON’s micro-machined sensor in a single package will be available before the end of this year, at less than one dollar for large-volume orders.
According to iSuppli’s research dated September 2009, the market for micro-machined acoustic devices for consumer electronics and mobile handsets is forecast to grow at a revenue CAGR of 18% between 2008 and 2013, when it will exceed one billion parts per year.
MEMS microphone startup Akustica was acquired earlier this year by Robert Bosch, while another MEMS startup, Oligon, was bought by Wolfson Microelectronics to develop a range of highly integrated microphones.

Instant products from rapid prototyping

Design tool vendor Altium has added an instant deployment option to its FPGA development board. Designers can now take their FPGA-based designs from concept right through to deployment without the need to create a custom PCB by clipping the NanoBoard 3000 into a new range of enclosures designed in-house by Altium.
The modular enclosures let designers deploy FPGA–based designs created and hosted on the NanoBoard 3000 in a number of different ways: on desks, on walls, in either commercial or industrial locations, in extended options for multiple board designs, with or without the TFT display that comes with the enclosures.
Instantly deploying the NanoBoard 3000 in the new modular enclosures gives designers the option of creating small production runs in commercially attractive cases, again without being compelled to manufacture custom enclosures or custom PCBs.
Altium’s NanoBoard 3000 is a programmable design environment supplied complete with hardware, software, ready-to-use, royalty-free IP and a dedicated Altium Designer Soft Design license. This is a complete design environment that lets electronics designers construct sophisticated ‘soft’ processor-based systems inside FPGAs without any prior FPGA expertise, specialist VHDL or Verilog skills. Designers simply use their existing board layout and systems design skills to construct, test and implement FPGA-based embedded systems. The supplied Altium Designer license lets them select, drag and drop the large range of IP blocks to add processors, memory controllers, peripherals and software stacks. Unlike alternative programmable design environments, designers no longer need to search the web for drivers, peripherals or other software, and then have the hard work of integrating all these elements to make them work together.
The new NanoBoard 3000 enclosures mean that designers can now start with a purely 'soft' prototype on the NanoBoard and then deploy it into the field. But Altium Designer’s unified architecture also gives them the option of upgrading to a board-level Altium Designer license and moving into custom PCB design. Their 'soft' design work completed on the NanoBoard 3000 is simply ready to be used on their custom PCB.
Weeks are saved on getting high-quality proof-of-concept prototypes designed without any custom PCB design work required at all. Newcomers to FPGA design have a low-risk, low-cost design environment that has everything they need to get started. Experienced FPGA designers can use their expertise in new ways to focus on creating the intelligence of their products.
Altium’s first NanoBoard 3000 features a Xilinx Spartan 3AN FPGA. Two more NanoBoards, featuring Altera and Lattice FPGAs, are in manufacture and design. The new deployment enclosures at Euro99 will accommodate all these NanoBoard options.
The NanoBoard 3000 is available for a recommended retail price of $295 and includes a 12-month subscription to the Altium Designer Soft Design License.

Namecalling Begins Around Intel's USB 3.0 Slowdown, Slapfight Imminent

Namecalling Begins Around Intel's USB 3.0 Slowdown, Slapfight Imminent

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DDR3 memory transistion next year

Shipments of the next generation high speed, low power DDDR3 memory will rise to account for more than half of the global DRAM market by the second quarter of 2010, surpassing DDR2 for the first time as the leading technology for PC main memory says market researcher iSuppli. DDR3’s share of the DRAM market in terms of gigabit-equivalent shipments will rise to 50.9 percent in the second quarter of 2010, up from just 1 percent in the second quarter of 2008 and 14.2 percent in the second quarter of 2009. By the end of 2010, DDR3 will grow to account for 71 percent of shipments.
“DDR3 is 50 percent faster than today’s dominant DRAM technology, DDR2, while using about 30 percent less power,” said Mike Howard, senior DRAM analyst for iSuppli. “For PC users across the board, this means faster performance. For notebook users, it can result in longer battery life.”
Two major factors are driving the industry’s transition to DDR3: new Intel Corp. microprocessors and the increasing manufacturability of the part.
Intel’s latest-generation microprocessor microarchitecture, dubbed Nehalem, employs a memory controller that supports only DDR3, unlike the previous Penryn line, which works with both DDR2 and DDR3. With Intel transitioning its microprocessor line to Nehalem-based chips, PC makers will have no choice but to migrate to DDR3 SDRAM.
On the supply side, production of DDR3 has advanced to the point were memory makers can produce it at a competitive cost using leading-edge semiconductor process technology. Because of this, all major DRAM suppliers now are producing DDR3, making the memory more attractive to PC makers who are loathe to be beholden to a single source.
“With DDR3 commanding higher pricing than DDR2, memory makers realize where the big money will be in 2010,” Howard said. “Because of this, they are more than willing to transition production to the new memory technology.”
As availability has increased and prices for DDR3 have fallen, the cost of DDR2 to PC makers actually has risen in recent months because of supply constraints. And despite the rapid rise of DDR3, DDR2 is expected to command significant volumes throughout 2010, accounting for 15.4 percent of gigabit-equivalent shipments the fourth quarter.
For more information on this topic, see iSuppli’s new report: DDR2 to DDR3 – The Anatomy of a Technology Transition.

Atom module adds dual GbE, SATA and PCIe

Anders Electronics in London has developed a module that uses Intel's Atom processor with two Gigabit Ethernet connections for faster connectivity. Measuring just 65x75mm, the new CM-iAM SoM (system-on-module) packs more features than any other Atom Z530 SoM - notably up to 2GB RAM, 4GB on-board Flash Disk, SATA interface, dual GbE, and up to 3 PCIe lanes.
Used as a building block for any embedded application, the CM-iAM packs up-to-date technologies into the most compact, lightweight PC-on-module available in the market.
With on-board resources that smoothly run Linux, Windows XP or Windows 7, the CM-iAM’s standard X86 architecture runs most software applications written for PCs. And, the CM-iAM’s credit-card sized board boasts a low power consumption of 4-6W, making it ideal for battery and “always on” applications.
The basic feature set of the CM-iAM includes a 32-bit X86-compatible Atom Z530 CPU (up to 1.6GHz), up to 2GB RAM, 4GB on-board Flash Disk, SATA interface, and a Micro-SD slot. The CM-iAM also offers multiple display interfaces (RGB, LVDS and SDVO), with resolutions of up to 1920x1200 – enabling it to run high the definition graphics needed for such applications as digital signage.
For embedded applications, the CM-iAM provides a variety of display interfaces, up to 3 PCIe lanes, dual GbE ports, an RS232 serial port, up to 15 GPIO lines and many other essential functions. The user interface is supported by an enhanced graphics controller, 6 USB 2.0 ports, and 5.1 channels audio codec (analog+S/PDIF or HDA output).
To enable quick evaluation of the CM-iAM in the full range of usage scenarios, the SoM ships with an advanced evaluation base-board, the SB-iAM. This evaluation kit features a wide range of extension and I/O interfaces – most notably PCI and PCIe slots, RGB, LVDS, DVI and CRT display, and digital, analog and optical audio.

“Anders has always attempted to keep our clients on the cutting edge of technology,” said Rob Anders, CEO of Anders Electronics. “The CM-iAM is a true first – the smallest and most cost-effective SoM on the market, that doesn’t compromise on processing power or featureset."

National Instruments expands HIL

National Instruments is extending its hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation platform, which includes a range of products that optimise embedded system validation. During the past six months, NI has released nearly 40 new products targeted at delivering flexible HIL solutions to embedded control system developers within a variety of industries. The portfolio of NI HIL simulation tools helps engineers maintain reliability and time-to-market requirements while reducing costs, even as their products become more complex.

“We continually hear that engineers are struggling with traditional test systems to meet increasing product complexity and performance requirements within tight budgets and timelines,” said Mike Santori, Business and Technology Fellow at National Instruments. “These engineers need an HIL simulation platform that is highly productive out of the box but also open and flexible to adapt to fast-changing testing demands. The NI HIL simulation platform provides unprecedented openness and performance for HIL applications. The platform’s highly flexible architecture helps engineers address a wide range of applications, from those in automotive and aerospace to new fields such as alternative energy and medical device development.”

Recent product releases include NI VeriStand software for real-time testing and simulation; the NI TestStand 4.2 automated test management environment including support for Python scripts; a new family of fault insertion units; NI-XNET high-performance CAN and FlexRay bus interfaces optimised for HIL applications; ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553 and AFDX (ARINC 663) military and aerospace avionics bus interfaces; low-cost and high-performance real-time processor cards; and several other I/O interfaces. To ensure that applications can easily scale and meet evolving requirements, the NI HIL simulation platform supports third-party hardware interfaces and integrates with C, C++, .NET and Python programming languages. In addition to integrating seamlessly with the NI LabVIEW graphical system design environment, the platform works with a variety of modeling environments such as Simulink software; ITI SimulationX; Maplesoft MapleSim; and Gamma Technologies GT-POWER.
Engineers can increase their system performance and flexibility while reducing overall costs by taking advantage of the open PXI hardware standard, advanced multicore technology and graphically programmed FPGA interfaces. Additionally, the platform’s software-defined instrumentation approach makes it possible for HIL applications created with NI products to scale from low-cost desktop validation systems to multiprocessor distributed simulators, a benefit that provides engineers a flexible and cost-effective toolset for all HIL testing applications.
The platform delivers commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions that offer alternatives to complex proprietary configurations and bulky, inefficient traditional simulation systems. In today’s challenging economic climate, NI HIL simulation products are ideal for making projects more efficient and cost-effective for design engineers in multiple industries, from aerospace, alternative energy, automotive and consumer electronics to government, industrial transportation, mechatronics, medical technology and semiconductor manufacturing.

PowerVR moves to HD

Imagination Technologies has launched a video encoder family of IP that provides H.264 High Profile (HP) at HD resolutions.
The newest member of the POWERVR VXE encoder family delivers the highest quality encode ever seen in a synthesisable IP core, and offers the most complete implementation of the High and Main Profile toolsets of any IP core available in the market today, says the company. This translates to improved image quality at all bit rates, and enables ultra-low bitrates to be achieved for encoded streams with minimum degradation from the original source image data.

"With the relentless growth in demand for high quality user-generated content in all forms of mobile devices, we've seen tremendous interest in our VXE HD video encoder products. Our partners have evaluated our advanced encoding algorithms used in VXE380 against many other solutions, and the feedback we're getting indicates we have a winning solution that is the ideal complement to the growing numbers of HD resolution image sensors now being deployed in mobile devices," said Tony King-Smith, VP marketing at Imagination.

POWERVR VXE encodes video sequences and still images to a wide range of compression standards including H.264 High, Main and Baseline Profiles, H.263, MPEG-4, M-JPEG and JPEG. These cores offload the entire video/still encode processing to hardware, minimising host CPU processing load, enabling lowest power solutions without compromising performance. The core is fully supported by an accompanying software stack, which includes an OpenMAX IL compliant API under Linux.
The core is scalable, allowing Full HD video to be encoded, as well as offering the ability to record at extremely high frame rates (e.g. >1200 fps at QVGA) for detailed slow motion capture - one of the most sought after features for encoders today. Support for 4K resolutions is also possible, due to Imagination's unique scalable architecture.
The third generation, intelligent motion search algorithm dramatically reduces memory bandwidth requirements, whilst offering an even larger effective search range to give the best possible video quality and compression ratios. As memory access is one of the key sources of high power consumption for a SoC (System-on-Chip), this reduction in bandwidth also helps lower the overall SoC power requirements.
The IP core contains a small embedded 32-bit META processor, which ensures that the rate control algorithms are both flexible and highly capable, without burden or reliance on the host processor. This flexibility gives designers the ability to meet specific rate control requirements for the most demanding applications.
The VXE380 IP core, like all of Imagination's IP cores, is designed with ease of system integration in mind, requiring minimal external components, supporting memory interfaces optimised for all popular DRAMs including the latest DDR3 devices.
The POWERVR VXE family of encoders is ideal for a wide range of consumer and embedded applications including mobile phones, digital cameras, Blu-Ray disc authoring, portable media players, video conferencing, surveillance, personal navigation devices, personal video recorders and hardware encode accelerators.
The POWERVR VXE380 IP core is available for licensing now.

DDR3 module price increase catches PC and chip makers

Pricing continues to increase at a rapid pace for both DDR2 and DDR3 memory modules according to a market update from Converge. Earlier in the year market expectations were for another down year for the memory market, and yet at the close of business for October, the DDR2 and DDR3 markets had experienced eight straight months of rising prices. Clearly, computer builders did not see this coming or they would have forecasted for more supply in the second half of 2009. Most builders are getting caught short, and savvy buyers are finding that the spot market has been instrumental in assisting with supply shortages. The sweet spots are still 1GB and 2GB PC800 for desktops and notebooks, and 2GB DDR3 PC1066 and PC1333 for desktops.
While it appeared that DDR3 had stabilized for a few weeks in October, activity has once again picked up as we close out the first week of November. DRAM manufacturers have their hands full as they decide which technology to produce more of so they can take advantage of these high resale prices. Converge believes November will continue to bring shortages for modules as well as for chips. While all the talk is about module shortages, the chip market is also experiencing severe shortages. Micron parts in particular have been on a lot of contract manufacturers' radar screens for shortages, with lead times running 10+ weeks.

Supercomputing moves into harsh environments

GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, part of GE Enterprise Solutions, has developed a rugged processing board with the performance of a supercomputer.
The OpenVPX-compatible GRA111 high performance graphics board is one of the first commercially-available products to feature Nvidia’s newly-announced GT 240 GPU (graphics processing unit) and is also the first rugged implementation of a GPU using Nvidia's CUDA (Compute Unified, Device Architecture). The board is the first result of a relationship with Nvidia announced on October 8th.
The GRA111 is the first member of GE Fanuc’s planned family of CUDA-enabled products that are expected to revolutionize military and aerospace embedded computing by bringing a supercomputing capability to applications and environments that require leading edge processing such as radar, signals intelligence and video surveillance and interpretation. For example, radar systems can run up to 15 times faster.

“The enormous potential of the GPGPU – the general purpose graphics processing unit – with its massively parallel computing architecture is just beginning to become apparent to developers in the military and aerospace field,” said Rob McKeel, Vice President, Embedded Systems at GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms. “What we are announcing today is an exciting first: a new compact, lightweight platform that can deliver exceptional levels of computing performance in demanding applications and challenging environments.”

NVIDIA’s CUDA is a general purpose parallel computing architecture that takes advantage of the parallel compute engine in NVIDIA GPUs to solve many computational problems in a fraction of the time required on a general purpose CPU. It includes the CUDA Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) and the parallel compute engine of the GPU.
CUDA has been shown to deliver a 100x increase in speed in a broad range of applications that lend themselves to parallel computing. Early tests at GE Fanuc have shown that military applications can benefit from similar increases in speed. A major prime contractor in the military/aerospace industry has evaluated the CUDA architecture in a radar system, and found that performance improvement of 15x is achievable with minimal reprogramming effort.
The 3U format GRA111 derives much of its performance from the 96 cores, 128-bit memory interface, 1 GByte of DDR3 video memory, 16-lane PCI Express Gen 2 interface, 540MHz graphics clock and 1.3GHz processor clock of the GPU.
Optionally available as an LRM (Line Replaceable Module) in accordance with the VPX-REDI (VITA 48) standard and with a rich set of I/O, the GRA111 can also be applied to many of the most common graphics and video applications. Dual, independent channels mean that it is capable of driving RGB analog component video, digital DVI 1.0, and HDMI standards. In addition, the GRA111’s video input capability allows integration of sensor data using RS170, NTSC or PAL video formats.

8bit microcontrollers fight back with dual core for payTV

While 32bit microcontrollers are moving down into the 8bit market at 65cents, 8bit devices are moving to dual core.
Atmel has developed the industry's first dual-core secure microcontrollers targeting demanding smart card applications such as the PayTV conditional access market.
Atmel's TwinAVR microcontrollers (MCUs) offer two independent cores, memory and peripherals on a single chip, unlike current secure MCUs on the market today that offer a single core.
The Master Core is built around Atmel's 8-/16-bit RISC secureAVR, with 128K ROM, 36K EEPROM and 6K RAM. The Secure Core is also built around Atmel's 8-/16-bit RISC secureAVR, with 64K ROM, 18K EEPROM, 6K RAM, but with AdvXTM Crypto Processor, TDES, AES & AIS31 TRNG. This dual core architecture simplifies the implementation of the RED/BLACK concept of segregation between highly sensitive plaintext data (RED) and encrypted data (BLACK), leading to an easier and faster certification.

"As the PayTV conditional access market continues to grow and become more complex, smart card developers demand higher performance and storage capacity while maintaining the highest level of security," said Eric Le Cocquen, Atmel's marketing manager for PayTV products. "Atmel's TwinAVR addresses all these issues. Segregation of the RED and BLACK domains traditionally relies on hardware firewalls and a lot of software. The TwinAVR goes one step beyond by offering, on the same chip, a master core to implement the BLACK domain and a secure core to implement the RED domain, thus providing an indisputable segregation between the two domains. The two cores also increase the overall system performance considerably, equaling a 32-bit MCU, while the data flash interface enables large storage capacities. This new family offers a complete solution for smart card developers in the PayTV market."

The TwinAVR also features an ISO 7816-3 smart card interface and a built-in DataFlash interface. Large amounts of data can be stored with flash die stacking to the microcontroller and by fitting both chips in a standard smart card module. This product meets Common Criteria EAL5+ security certification.
Pricing starts at $1.85 USD for quantities of 100Ku in bare die form, with samples of the AT90SDC104 4Mbit TwinAVR samples will be available Q1 2010 at $4.00 USD for quantities of 100Ku in smart card modules.

Atmel launches low cost 34cent RFID chip for next generation access control

Access Control System Diagram



RFID block diagram









Atmel has launched a low cost, One Time Programmable (OTP) transponder chip for next-generation access control systems. Application areas include, for example, hotel rooms, engineering departments, offices, time recording systems and parking lots, as well as customer loyalty and membership cards. The IDIC ATA5575M1 provides OTP functionality, which simplifies the production process and provides increased flexibility compared to read-only devices. Customers can program the required code before shipping, reducing the lead time and time-to-market by many weeks.
A new architecture enables longer read distances with different types of coils and readers. The write distance has been reduced since a short write distance is sufficient and helps to minimize both cost and chip size. Large write distances are also in many cases unfavorable due to the risk of multiple tag programming.
Further system cost reduction results from the integration of the optional trimmed 250- or 330-pF on-chip capacitors. These capacitors eliminate the need for external components, since a coil is all that is needed for a complete system, enabling extra-small access control systems. Since the ATA5575M1 measures only about 0.9 square millimeters, the chip can be used in almost any transponder package, including glass transponders for very small tags such as plastic key housings.
A unique ID is vital for guaranteeing access to secured areas and enabling traceability of the end product. The device's user memory contains a unique, manufacturer-programmed ID. In standard applications, the system designer can simply lock the tag and use this pre-programmed unique ID as is. In applications requiring an individual, unique ID, the designer can overwrite the existing ID by using the desired customer-specific code.
As the ATA5575M1 is an LF device, it can be used worldwide. It is insensitive to rugged environments and can also be used under conditions that normally complicate the application of RFID devices, e.g. under water, on metal, in dirt, out-of-sight, or worn on the body.
The ATA5575M1 transponder IC supports ASK modulation and Manchester coding with a fixed bit rate of RF/64 and is designed for passive identification systems with a 100 to 150 kHz magnetic field. It can replace almost all available LF RFID read-only devices with the 'unique format'.
Samples are available now as wafer or die-in-waffle pack. Pricing for the ATA5575M1 as wafer shipment start at US$0.34 in quantities of 15k pieces and is available as 64- or 128-bit memory version. To support the engineer and to simplify the design of complete RFID systems, Atmel provides the evaluation kit ATA2270-EK1 including ATA5575M1 sample tags. The kit is based on Atmel's well-established AVR microcontrollers and is accompanied with a Windows PC software, C-source code for the AVR and PCB Gerber data for the reader board.

32bit microcontrollers fall to 65cents

The latest family of 32bit ARM Cortex-M0 microcontrollers from NXP is driving real time oerating systems straight into the 8bit and 16bit space. The LPC1100 microcontroller family will be available from distributors in December from 65cents in 10K volumes. With 15 members initially, the family offers a seamless entry point for any 8/16-bit customers looking to start with the scalable ARM architecture throughout their entire range of product development.
This provides an excellent opportunity for RTOS vendors such as

Wittenstein

with the FreeRTOS and SafeRTOS. This is also a direct challeng to Texas Instruments with the new Coretex M0 family from recently acquired Luminary Micro.

“Existing 8-bit architectures have their origins in the early era of the semiconductor industry, resulting in limitations of address range, register restrictions, limited functionality, unsuitability for high-level languages, and little attention to power and scaling issues,” said Geoff Lees, vice president and general manager, microcontroller product line, NXP Semiconductors. “The Cortex-M0 processor core and system architecture take full advantage of today’s optimized low-power design tools, techniques, and the latest low-power, high-density silicon Flash process.”

With over 45 DMIPS of performance compared to the sub-DMIP performance typical of 8bit MCUs and 3 - 5 DMIPS for 16-bit MCUs, the LPC1100 can not only execute basic control tasks but also sophisticated algorithms, making even the most complex tasks within reach. Shorter time to do more tasks translates directly into lower energy consumption. This level of performance is delivered at 50 MHz, with extensive power optimization, at less than 10 mA. The industry standard Coremark benchmarks also show that the LPC1100 requires 40-50 percent smaller code for most common microcontroller tasks.

“It may be a big surprise to embedded users how much the LPC1100, a 32-bit microcontroller, outperforms in efficiency compared to 8- and 16-bit microcontrollers. If performance and energy consumption are important criteria for selecting a microcontroller, based on the results generated from EEMBC's CoreMark benchmark, embedded designers should check out the LPC1100 (especially with its $0.65 price tag) before committing to any 8- or 16-bit options with comparable features and pricing. The scores for the LPC1100 are already posted on CoreMark.org,” said Markus Levy, EEMBC President.

Features of the NXP LPC1100 family of microcontrollers include:
· 50 MHz Cortex-M0 processor with SWD/debug (4 break-points)
· 32 Vectored Interrupts; 4 priority levels; Dedicated Interrupts on up to 13 GPIOs
· UART, 1 or 2 SPI, I2C (FM+); 2 16-bit and 2 32-bit timers with PWM/Match/Capture
· 12MHz Internal RC Oscillator with 1% accuracy over temperature and voltage
· Power-On-Reset (POR); Multi-level Brown-Out-Detect (BOD); 10-50 MHz Phase-Locked Loop (PLL)
· 8-channel high precision 10-bit ADC with ±1LSB DNL
· Up to 28 or 42 fast 5V tolerant GPIO pins for HVQFN33 and LQFP48 respectively, high drive (20 mA) on select pins
· Single 1.8 – 3.6V power supply; over 5kV ESD for rugged applications

Future product features will include: Ultra Low Power options, CAN, 12-bit ADC and DAC, temperature sensor, high resolution timer features, and advanced sensor interface.

The LPC1100 family is supported by development tools from IAR, Keil, Hitex, Code Red, and many others. NXP will also offer an easy to use, comprehensive development tool platform for under US$30.
Recommended distribution unit pricing in 10,000 piece quantities for the 33-pin package is: LPC1111FHN33/101 at US$0.65, LPC1112FHN33/101 at $0.75, LPC1113FHN33/201 at $0.85, and LPC1114FHN33/201 at $0.95, with Flash sizes of 8K, 16K, 24K and 32K respectively. In addition, 48-pin LPQFP and PLCC44 packages will be available for socketed applications.

Bada emerges as OS for handhelds

Samsung is set to launch its Bada operatings system as a challenge to Android. Details and prospects at the Portable Multimedia blog.