SEGGER adds IoT and security components

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

SEGGER has expanded its Embedded Studio PRO software package with Internet of Things (IoT), security and connectivity related software modules. 

The new modules are the IoT Toolkit, the security libraries emSSL, emSSH, emSecure and emCrypt as well as the communication stack emModbus and the compression algorithms emCompress.

Adding these new components grants developers direct access to SEGGER's most popular software components in one package. Accompanied by board support packages for popular development boards, Embedded Studio PRO provides an easy-to-use solution to create and develop new products. Ready-to-run projects that build the foundation of your new application can be created with just a few clicks.

The expanded Embedded Studio PRO Library Package now includes the embOS RTOS, the emWin GUI, emFile file system, comms stacks embOS/IP, emUSB-Device, emUSB-Host and emModbus, the compression algorithms emCompress and SEGGER's IoT Toolkit and security libraries serving all standard software needs of modern embedded and IoT devices.

"The new Embedded Studio PRO Library Package completes SEGGER's offering for software developers by vastly reducing the complexity of creating full-featured projects," said Dirk Akemann, Marketing Manager at SEGGER. "It enhances the out-of-the-box experience with an easy-to-use setup. The Embedded Studio IDE is now the developer's go-to solution for everyday work. It manages their whole workflow of project development; their tools, their libraries, and their sources. It simply works!"

www.segger.com/espro

Microsoft pushes harder into IoT (and looks to monetize its operating system)

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Microsoft has announced a new paid programme to build intelligent devices for the Internet of Things (IoT) using its Azure cloud capability.

“For Microsoft, it’s more than just screens and devices; it’s about creating services and experiences with technology that support ambitions and aspirations,” said Nick Parker, corporate vice president, Consumer and Device Sales. "Imagine the devices and experiences we can create with ubiquitous computing, infused with AI and connected to the cloud. This is such an incredible time for the industry.”

To do this it has launched a new, paid, service to make it easier to manage updates for the OS, apps, settings and OEM-specific files; includes Device Health Attestation (DHA); and is backed with 10 years of support.

Windows 10 IoT Core is an edition of Windows 10 designed for building smart things and optimized to power intelligent edge devices.

Windows 10 IoT Core Services builds on the Windows 10 IoT Core operating system that was first released in 2015 and has been adopted by companies such as Johnson Controls, Askey, and Misty Robotics.

However the Core Services will be a paid offering for IoT devices. The free edition of Windows 10 IoT Core will still be available via the Semi-Annual Channel (SAC).

Windows 10 IoT Core Services provides 10 years of support via the Windows Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) to keep device security up to date. Devices using the LTSC release won’t receive feature updates, enabling them to focus on stability by minimizing changes to the base operating system. Microsoft typically offers new LTSC releases every two to three years, with each release supported over a 10-year lifecycle.

It also includes update control with the newly announced Device Update Center (DUC) which provides the ability to create, customize, and control device updates. These updates are distributed by the same Content Distribution Network (CDN) as Windows Update which is used daily by millions of Windows customers around the world. Updates can be applied to the operating system, device drivers, as well as OEM-specific applications and files. Updates can be flighted to test devices prior to broader distribution.

Device Health Attestation (DHA) provides hardware-enabled security. Evaluating the trustworthiness of a device at boot is essential for a trusted IoT system and a device cannot attest to its own trustworthiness. Instead, this must be done by an external entity such as DHA Azure cloud service. This service evaluates device health and can be combined with a device management system, such as Azure IoT Device Management. This allows developers to re-image a device, denying network access or creating a service ticket.

There is currently a limited preview of the service with a wider rollout in July 2018 and general availability later this year.

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2018/06/05/windows-10-iot-tomorrows-iot-today/

Related stories:

• Kerlink teams with Microshare for IoT GDPR support in the Google cloud
• Qualcomm backs WPA3 for IoT security
• Intel sells off Wind River

Power news this week

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk


. UK's largest independent distributed energy supplier sold for £216m


. Google expands AI-driven solar analysis into the UK


. Ericsson opens new headquarters and R&D lab in Hungary

POWER TECHNOLOGIES TO WATCH

. Manganese doubles capacity of lithium batteries


. 3D printed polymer thermal cooling system for 3D chips


. Formula E technology moves to the mainstream

NEW POWER PRODUCTS
. Low Inductance SP6LI package boosts SiC MOSFET performance


. 180nm power process ranges from 3.3V to 700V


. 150°C polymer electrolytic capacitors for electric powertrains

TECHNICAL PAPERS
. Linear Tech: LTC7000/-01 MOSFET Gate Drivers


. Harwin: Key Considerations When Selecting a Connector Solution


. Infineon: Deep learning neural networks demand sophisticated power

Qualcomm backs WPA3 for IoT security

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Qualcomm Technologies is adding the coming WPA3 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) across its mobile and networking devices, starting with the Snapdragon 845 and in the 2x2 802.11ax-ready chip for client devices, the WCN3998, and IPQ807x AP platform.

As the number of security threats and vulnerabilities continues to grow, consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about the level of sophistication and potential impact. The recent KRACK (Key Reinstallation Attack) vulnerability bypassed the WPA2 network security protocol and put Wi-Fi users at risk, allowing potential attackers to access unencrypted network traffic and possibly steal sensitive information. 

Using WPA3 encryption is designed to provide a more seamless configuration  of Wi-Fi devices and more secure wireless access, even when user Wi-Fi passwords fall short of common complexity recommendations. Users will also be protected on public or open hotspots by using Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE), which has the ease of use of open networks but provides more protection than the common usage of WPA2 with an openly shared password.

“At Qualcomm Technologies, we’re committed to working closely with industry bodies like the Wi-Fi Alliance to develop security standards to best protect data traffic across networks and devices, especially as security threats and attacks continue to become increasingly sophisticated,” said Rahul Patel, senior vice president and general manager, connectivity and networking, Qualcomm Technologies. “By adopting the latest in encryption technology to protect Wi-Fi connected products from security attacks, Qualcomm Technologies helps customers build products that not only deliver the industry’s latest technologies to the market, but adopt the most advanced security standard available.”

Qualcomm Technologies expects to incorporate WPA3 security features into chipsets in summer 2018 for mobile devices beginning with the Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform and on all Wi-Fi networking infrastructure products.

www.qualcomm.com/.

Top 10 semiconductor foundries worldwide for 1H 2018

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Market researchers TrendForce are forecasting lower revenue growth for global foundries in 1H18 than in 1H17, with the total revenue reaching about US$29.06 billion, a year-on-year growth of 7.7%, as a result of a weakening demand for premium cellphones. TSMC, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, and UMC are expected to take first, second, and third place.

The premium smartphone market experienced weak demand in 1H18, as the vendors blurred the lines between their mid-range and premium models, and the new devices released did not trigger a high level of replacement demand as anticipated. The weak demand for smartphone indirectly reduced the demand for high-performance processors from smartphone vendors, and lowered the growth momentum for foundries to develop advanced process technology. 

The top ten remains the same as a year ago except for X-Fab surpassing Dongbu HiTek and ranking the 10th. The weak demand from smartphones has also influenced TSMC, which saw lower-than-expected growth momentum. However, the company may still acquire a market share of 56.1% despite the headwinds. GLOBALFOUNDRIES, ranking the second, saw a slight increase.

UMC is the third in the revenue ranking for 1H18, with limited revenue growth due to pressure from TSMC's dominant market share in advanced processes. Currently, UMC focuses on developing new customers of products based on 28nm and 14nm processes, in order to consume the capacity.

Samsung, at fourth, is actively promoting its Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) service among potential clients, while SMIC, at fifth, is improving the yield rate of 28nm process.

TowerJazz has been adjusting its product mix to increase the share of high-profit products but this has led to a 4% fall in revenue over the same period last year. Powerchip has benefited from growing orders and staged remarkable performance, with an estimated revenue growth of 27.1% over the same period last year.

As for the production capacity of 200mm wafers, the market in 1H18 shows the same trend of undersupply as in last year. Rising quotes for manufacturing products on 200mm wafers have brought remarkable revenue performance for 200mm wafer fabs. VIS and Hua Hong Semiconductor are expected to record revenue growths of 15.1% and 13.5% respectively. X-Fab is expected to benefit from industrial and automotive markets, recording a slight growth of 4.6% in 1H18.

TrendForce also points to the development of third-generation semiconductors. VIS has become the first foundry in the world to provide foundry service on 200mm GaN-on-Silicon wafers, X-Fab has integrated SiC to its 150mm wafer fab with a monthly capacity of 30,000 pieces and Taiwan-based Episil Technologies is also actively developing its foundry service of SiC and GaN wafers.





www.trendforce.com

AI chip on mini-PCIe card for IoT edge designs

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.ukwww.flaherty.co.uk

Asus subsidiary AAEON has launched an embedded Artificial Intelligence processing card for edge computing. 

The AI Core is a mini-PCIe module powered by Intel's Movidius Myriad 2 2450 chip combined with Aaeon's UP Squared companion board for building embedded applications.

The low-power 51 x 30mm module can be used to add AI capabilities to industrial IoT edge devices with hardware accelerated deep learning and enhanced machine vision functionality.

The card includes 512 MB onboard DDR memory and the Myriad 2 gives developers immediate access to its advanced vision processing core, while allowing them to develop proprietary capabilities for differentiation.

The AI board can be used with the Aaeon's credit card sized UP Squared single board computer. This is aimed at different domains and products like Robotics, Drone, Machine Vision, Smart Home, Education, Digital Signage, Intelligent Cars and Internet Of Things via compatibility with Linux, Android, and all the Windows 10 distributions. The UP is powered by an Intel Atom x5 Quad-Core 1.44/1.92Ghz 64-bit SoC (Cherry Trail) and HD 400 graphics (H.264, HEVC decoding, VP8 is supported), with 1GB/2GB/4GB RAM, 16GB/32GB/64GB eMMC storage, 40-pin GPIO expansion, 6x USB 2.0, USB 3.0 OTG, Ethernet, HDMI, MIPI-CSI/DSI and hardware security.

The board is availble from Texim Europe Datasheet AI Core

Cloud connection drives Toshiba to finally back the mbed operating system

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Perhaps slightly behind the times, Toshiba has finally certified two of its ARM-based microcontrollers for the mbed operating system developed for the ARM cores.

Mbed provides developers with a free, easy-to-use development environment, so there has been less commercial drive for mainstream chip suppliers with their own operatings sytems and tools to support it. The online compiler provided by Arm can be used with the new evaluation boards, and device programming can be performed with drag-and-drop simplicity on a host PC connected to the boards via USB. Developers can also access the component libraries verified by the Mbed community, allowing fast and efficient development of applications for embedded devices.

The key difference now is that the Arm Mbed Device Connector service provides connectivity with the Mbed Cloud, simplifying configuration of web services and providing something that Toshiba doesn't.

Another factor is the corporate structure. It is Toshiba Digital Solutions rather than the semiconductor division that is working on strengthening device security of IoT equipment as an Mbed Cloud lead partner to provide that connectivity. 

Toshiba will be expanding products supporting Mbed OS with Mbed ecosystem partners through the Cortex-M0 and Cortex-M4 based microcontrollers. The 24MHz TX00 general-purpose microcontrollers provide USB support function while the TX04 microcontrollers add security functions.

There is also support for a wide range of applications via an Arduino-compatible connector so that applications can be developed quickly by connecting to a commercially available ArduinoShield board. Using Mbed Cloud allows secure connection with web services.

Part Number				TMPM066FWUG (in mass production)
Main specifications		CPU		ARM Cortex-M0
		Maximum frequency		24 MHz
		Built-in memory		128 Kbyte Flash, 16 Kbyte SRAM
		Operating voltage		1.8 to 3.6 V
		DMA		28 channels (1 unit)
		USB		1 channel (full-speed device)
		10-bit ADC		8 channels
		UART/SIO		2 channels
		I2C		2 channels
		16-bit Timer		10 channels
		High resolution PPG		1 unit, 4 outputs
		External interrupt pin		6 pins
		TSPI		1 channel
		Package		LQFP64 (10 mm x 10 mm, 0.5 mm pitch)

Part number				TMPM46BF10FG (in mass production)
Main specification		CPU		ARM Cortex-M4F
		Maximum frequency		120 MHz
		Built-in memory		1024 Kbyte Flash, 513 Kbyte SRAM
		Operating voltage		2.7 to 3.6 V
		12-bit ADC		8 channels
		DMA		32 channels (3 units)
		16-bit Timer		8 channels
		Interrupt input		16 channels
		Clock-independent WDT		1 unit
		SSP		3 channels
		SIO/UART		4 channels
		Full UART		2 channels
		I2C		3 channels
		SLC NAND Flash controller		1 unit
		Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)		1 unit
		Hash function generator (SHA)		1 unit
		Random number seed generator (ESG)		1 unit
		Multiple-length arithmetic circuit (MLA)		1 unit
		Package		LQFP100 (14 mm x 14 mm, 0.5 mm pitch)

TMPM066FWUG: https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/info/lookup.jsp?pid=TMPM066FWUG&region=apc&lang=en

TMPM46BF10FG: https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/info/lookup.jsp?pid=TMPM46BF10FG&region=apc&lang=en

The Mbed evaluation boards for each microcontroller are provided by sensyst, as AdBun series products at http://www.chip1stop.com/web/JPN/en/selectCountry.do

Power news this week

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

. XP snaps up Glassman High Voltage after death of founder


. Power trends: Size is everything

. German smart battery maker raises €60m from Shell

POWER TECHNOLOGIES TO WATCH
. Vienna reference design with silicon carbide switches with 98% efficiency


. Solar cell boosts efficiency in space


. Brushless flat motor delivers 1Nm continuous torque


NEW POWER PRODUCTS

. 1200V SiC FETs provide drop in upgrade for MOSFETs


. Solar cell boosts efficiency in space


. Compact integrated 36V buck converter modules in distribution

TECHNICAL PAPERS
. Choosing and Using GaN Technology for High-Efficiency Power Conversion

. Harwin: Key Considerations When Selecting a Connector Solution

. Battery balancing

Rambus IoT security plans put it on collision course with ARM

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Rambus has moved from being a patent and technology licensing company to a product and now an IoT services company that wants to take on ARM. Nick Flaherty talks to Jerome Nadel, the chief marketing officer, on where the company is heading, from cold computing in data centres to secure core IP and software technologies.

"Rambus has had a very interesting history, billions of dollars flowed in through high value licensing with the first versions of the company, you might call them Rambus 1.0 and 2.0,” said Jerome Nadel, senior vice president and CMO of Rambus. “The thing that held these technologies together was a licensing platform, from LED lighting to differential power analysis.”

The interview at EEnews Power covers the moves into secure cores and ioT services.

"We thought if we could put a secure core as a hardware root of trust in an SoC and have key software to manage that we could have better lifecycle management. Instead of firmware updated over the air (OTA) we could be going back to a hardware route of trust for anti-counterfeiting and content protection.”

“The vision hasn’t fully materialised, but with features as a service, you start at the fab and then in the field update it securely with new services,” he said. This opens up a service model, where customers or Rambus can manage the updating of the chips in the field.

The company has developed a secure core that can sit alongside a mainstream processor to provide this capability, starting with the RISC-V core. “We silo the secure processing from general processing and partnering with SiFive and promoting open source hardware, this notion of cores that can be programmed and addressed in field is a very relevant model – design starts are so expensive you could democratise those and make money in the field,” he said.

“On the platform level you have to be open to other cores so we [interface to processor cores from]  TI, ST, Synopsys, our infrastructure interfaces with our cores and other cores – we have interfaces for a set of cores with a software development kit (SDK) and  product development kit (PDK).

Read more at https://www.eenewspower.com/news/rambus-takes-aim-arm-iot-security

Sigfox launches IoT sensor network - video

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

French IoT radio network provider Sigfox has launched an end-to-end IoT sensor system to accelerate the adoption among business and technical professionals on its proprietary network.

Sens'it Discovery is a customizsble IoT systme that combines the Sens’it 3 device with the sensit.io application, along with Sigfox connectivity. The device combines 6 different sensors (thermometer, hygrometer, light meter, accelerometer, magnetometer, reed switch) and a central button for multiple use cases.

The device works in any of the 45 countries where the Sigfox has coverage and can be configured to communicate in multiple regions (RC1, RC2, RC3, or RC4) without need of any local network, such as Wifi or Bluetooth. Battery life can last up to 1-year depending on use and frequency of messages. Full specs and distributors are available here.

Sigfox sees the device being used to secure and monitor facilities, customer service, and provide environmental data. Developers can also turn the device into a development kit, create their own firmware, and fully re-configure the device using the dedicated Software Development Kit SDK available on www.sensit.io.

This allows them to get get direct access to the device data on the Sigfox Cloud and create new application integrations, as well as build custom embedded applications to completely change the device behaviour and adapt sensors’ logic to create new uses and solutions.

For hardware engineers, Sens’it Device Sources are available for download, to be re-used in other device projects.

Additionally, Altyor, a long-time partner of the Sigfox ecosystem, offers the opportunity to purchase large quantities of Sens’it sensors. Devices can be then adapted for new use cases, with new embedded applications easily created with Sens’it SDK and with a customizable front panel to match with the targeted use case. This provides an easy way for developers to start experimenting with a few hundreds of connected sensors.

https://www.sensit.io/

LoRa/FSK smart modem transceiver at 434MHz for long range IoT

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Saelig has launched a compact, easy to use narrow-band embedded radio modem operating in the 434 MHz ISM band using the LoRa technology to achieve extremely long range for low bit-rate data with low power. 

The SLR-434M's receive sensitivity allows communication into areas once considered difficult for RF to penetrate, and making it possible to transmit 1800 feet or more. The SLR-434M is also switchable to accommodate conventional FSK communication.

The SLR-434M can transmit data or operate in simple control systems using Circuit Design's dedicated command protocol from an external CPU or PC via an RS232 or COMport interface. The SLR-434M can process 8 I/O switching signals. With up to 10mW RF output power from the SMA connector, the SLR-434M can be used in simplex or duplex mode on 137 channels. It operates from a 3.5 - 5.0V supply, consuming less than 30mA when transmitting. Its low power consumption makes battery operation possible with the 1.6" x 1.2" x 0.25" module.

Applications include data transmission, telemetry, and control in buildings, water level and dam monitoring, tunnel and bridge condition monitoring, etc.

The TB-SLR-RS2 is an RS232 interface board for experimenting with the SLR-434M module. The built-in DB9 connector allows quick connection to the COM port of PC or PLC. The board is equipped with transmit/receive LED, a power supply terminal, main switch and an interface to sub boards. The module can be used with a coax extension cable to allow optimum placement of the antenna according to the environment. A descriptive video is here: https://youtu.be/dl3LeEf3jfE

The SLR-434M is made by Circuit Design, a leading Japanese low power radio product design and manufacturing company. 

www.saelig.com.

Power news this week

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

.

Nexperia raises $800m for growth in discretes

.

Nano-C raises $11.5m to boost nanocarbon production

.

Stadium power supplies become part of TT Electronics

.

POWER TECHNOLOGIES TO WATCH

.

Hydrogen project opens up fuel cells on trains

.

First roll-to-roll graphene process

.

Nanobead coating boosts solar cell performance by 20 percent

NEW POWER PRODUCTS

.

Remotely powered sensors cut unplanned downtime

.

1W AC-DC converters in compact SIP packaging

.

System manager chip directly monitors power conversion efficiency

TECHNICAL PAPERS

.

National Instruments: Trend Watch 2018

.

Intersil: Inside a new architecture for USB Type-C applications

Microsemi puts FPGAs into the design verification loop

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Microsemi is working with MathWorks on an FPGA-in-the-loop (FIL) verification workflow with Microsemi's FPGA development boards. 

The integrated FIL workflow allows automatic generation of test benches for hardware description language (HDL) verification, including VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) and Verilog, providing rapid prototyping and verification of designs.

The collaboration integrates  MATLAB, a programming environment for algorithm development, data analysis, visualization and numeric computation, and Simulink, a graphical environment for simulation and Model-Based Design, with Microsemi’s SmartFusion2 system-on-chip (SoC) FPGA and PolarFire FPGA development boards. This allows the stimulation of designs through FIL verification workflow using Microsemi’s development boards, analyzing the results back in MATLAB and Simulink to modify the original design.

“With the ever-increasing complexity in algorithm designs, it has become imperative for designers to quickly design and validate their algorithms on real hardware,” said Shakeel Peera, vice president FPGA marketing for Microsemi. “This integrated FPGA-in-the-loop workflow of Microsemi FPGA boards with MathWorks HDL Verifier will allow system engineers and algorithm developers to quickly prototype and implement their MATLAB and Simulink designs on Microsemi FPGA development boards through our Libero SoC Design Suite.”

“MATLAB and Simulink are widely used by engineers to develop algorithms targeting FPGAs,” said Paul Barnard, director of marketing for the Simulink product family at MathWorks. “Now that HDL Verifier supports FIL for Microsemi development kits, engineers can connect designs implemented on these FPGA boards directly to MATLAB and Simulink test benches, streamlining a crucial validation step in developing safety-critical avionics, space and other applications.”

Delivering the industry’s first FIL feature for Microsemi boards with MATLAB and Simulink, the collaboration provides HDL Verifier Support Package for Microsemi FPGA, a hardware support package for SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA and PolarFire FPGA development boards, and an integrated workflow from algorithms to implementation. 

This works with a wide variety of applications within the aerospace and defence, security, industrial and medical markets, including motor control and imaging, digital signal processing, communication systems, machine vision and imaging systems, control systems, military communications, and payload and radio processing.

Microsemi’s SmartFusion2 and PolarFire FPGAs, and their complementary development boards, are available now, and MathWorks’ HDL Coder and HDL Verifier are also available now. 

www.microsemi.com/products/fpga-soc/fpgas