Embedded Computing Design

Digital RF is something you don’t hear a lot about, but it is being deployed in some of our embedded systems, including those that live at the Edge of the IoT. But, is it really digital?

Some new single-board computers (SBCs) from ASUS IoT up the ante in terms of performance for industrial Edge AI applications.

Semtech recently acquired Sierra Wireless. That’s a pretty big acquisition. To understand why it is was done and what it means to an embedded developer, I spoke to Pravin Desale, the Senior Vice President of IoT Engineering at Semtech on this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.

AI and machine learning are relatively new technologies in the embedded space. And the only way an application space can grow is by having a robust ecosystem. Some may argue that such an ecosystem already exists for AI, while others say that developers should wait a bit before diving in.

I generally don’t write about finished consumer products; rather, I stick to the components and technologies inside. However, it’s always nice to see when the technologies we cover come together to make a great product. And that’s exactly the case in the Soundcore Motion Boom Plus speaker.

The FPGA vendors would have you believe that designing with their components is a piece of cake. Connect a few dots here and there, and presto, your chip is ready to go. But we all know that’s not really the case.

Every application obviously needs some form of memory, and since every application is somewhat different, you’d expect most applications to have a dedicated memory type. That thinking would not be wrong.

When you think of NI, you might think about LabVIEW, its flagship software, a graphical programming tool that engineers have used for the past 30 years to develop automated research, validation, and production test systems. And you wouldn’t be wrong in your thinking.

If you’re looking to sense vibrations, check out Taifang Technology and its elastic-wave technology. They are sensing vibrations that are so small you can’t really receive them any other way.

The Python programming language is quite popular these days and carries a vast ecosystem. It has a large community, and access to different sets of packages and libraries that are highly mature. That includes things like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and the different types of data analysis and processing elements that are required to handle these applications.

Most security prevention methods aim at detecting when a hack is occurring. Hence, term detection-based security. By embedded your cyber-security inside your memory subsystem, you make it prevention-based, essentially stopping the attack before it occurs.

If I learned anything at last week’s John Deere Technology Summit, it’s that this company can go toe-to-toe with any of the technology giants. With the investments in machine vision, AI, EV technology, and so on, it was clear to me that John Deere could likely participate in just about any leading-edge technology application. Kudos to them for sticking to what they do best, and that is mostly agriculture and earth-moving equipment.

LabVIEW, the graphical programming environment used globally by systems and test engineers, automates and simplifies what would otherwise be a tedious manual process. Developed and maintained by NI, LabVIEW is used to create applications that interact with real-world data or signals, such as measurement or control systems.

With the voltage levels for GaN power semiconductors moving up and the levels for SiC moving down, we have an overlap, where either type of device would be suitable for the job.

So which should you choose?

If you’re looking to reduce size and weight in your high-density power supply designs, check out Texas Instruments’ (TI) latest EMI filter ICs. The company claims that they’re the industry’s first of their kind. And there’s no performance hit. In fact, you can actually increase system performance, efficiency, and reliability. Applications that can take advantage of these devices include automotive, enterprise, aerospace, and industrial.

The advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and automated driving (AD) systems being designed into current and future vehicles demand high reliability for obvious reasons. And that reliance pushes its way down into the components used. To that end, TDK has developed its CLT32 series of miniaturized inductors specifically for the power-management units within these vehicles.

Power Integrations has made a name for itself in high-voltage ICs for energy-efficient power conversion. Recently, the company released a 900-V gallium-nitride (GaN) extension to the company’s InnoSwitch3 family of flyback switcher ICs. Designed with the company’s patented PowiGaN technology, the devices can deliver up to 100 watts with more than 93% efficiency, eliminating the need for heat sinks and thereby simplifying the design of space-challenged applications.

Here we go again; 8-bit MCUs are not dead yet. I said a few years ago that I’d give this argument up, and simply wait for the official announcement, but apparently, I shouldn’t hold my breath.

Far-field voice is something that’s hard to decipher, mostly because it’s far. I know that’s overly simplistic, but it’s true.

Infineon has partnered with a bunch of folks to simplify the lives of system developers, specifically those who want to integrate Bluetooth. Those partners include module vendors and software providers.