IoT & Smart Cities

June 2016
EPC's multi-mode wireless power charging kit eliminates standards worries

The 10W EPC9121 demonstration system

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) announced the availability of a complete demonstration multi-mode wireless power charging kit, the EPC9121. The purpose of this demonstration kit is to simplify the evaluation process of using eGaN FETs and ICs for highly efficient multi-mode wireless power charging sy
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Date:
06/30/2016
Microchip launches lowest-power PIC32 Family

Microchip PIC32MM

Microchip Technology, a leading provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog, and Flash-IP solutions, announced the company’s lowest power and most cost-effective family of 32-bit PIC32 microcontrollers (MCUs). The Microchip PIC32MM family bridges the gap between the company’s popular PIC24F XLP and PI
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Date:
06/30/2016
Mouser Electronics announced an international distribution agreement with Particle, a prototype-to-production platform for Internet of Things (IoT) products. With Particle’s hardware development kits and connectivity modules, people from all skill levels — from new makers to engineering experts — can build Io
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Date:
06/29/2016
u-blox claims first cellular Narrowband IoT module

u-blox cellular Narrowband IoT module

u-blox announced forthcoming availability of its SARA-N2 Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) module , the world's first cellular radio module compliant to the 3GPP Release 13, Narrowband IoT (LTE Cat. NB1) standard. Designed for use in applications such as smart buildings and cities, utilities metering, white goods, asset tra
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Date:
06/27/2016
Brite Semi and Semitech to collaborate on industrial M2M SoC

Narrowband PLC and low-power wireless technologies are the keys to the heterogeneous smart grid networks of the future

Brite Semiconductor, a leading ASIC/SoC design and turnkey solution provider, announced the collaborative development of an industrial machine-to-machine (M2M) system on chip (SoC) with Semitech Semiconductor, a leading provider of power line communications (PLC) solutions that enable the transformation of the ele
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Date:
06/24/2016
Alpha and Omega Semi now offers 2.38 mOhm device for battery protection

The AOC3862 common-drain 12V dual n-channel MOSFET

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor, a designer, developer and supplier of a broad range of power semiconductors and power ICs, announced the release of the AOC3862, a common-drain 12V dual n-channel MOSFET with an ultra-low on-resistance, typical 2.38 mOhm at 4.5V gate drive. This new device offers the best-in-class so
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Date:
06/24/2016
Intersil, a leading provider of innovative power management and precision analog solutions, announced the adoption of the company’s ISL91110 switching regulators in Huawei’s new P9 smartphone. Intersil's ISL91110 buck-boost switching regulator supplies power to key system peripherals in the P9 dual-camera sma
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Date:
06/24/2016
PSDcast - Subra Chandramouli of Lattice Semi on mobile device image & display integration

Subra Chandramouli of Lattice Semiconductor

In this PSDcast Subra Chandramouli, Director of Marketing, Mobile and Consumer Division at Lattice Semiconductor, talks to Alix Paultre of Power Systems Design about integrating the various complex systems involved in a modern mobile device. The company recently announced the industry-first CrossLink programmable br
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Date:
06/21/2016
Analog Devices simplifies wireless system design with RadioVerse ecosystem

AD9371 RF wideband transceiver

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) today unveiled the RadioVerse™ technology and design ecosystem, which provides customers with integrated transceiver technologies, a robust design environment, and market-specific technical expertise to move their radio designs from concept to creation quickly. The new ecosystem’s tr
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Date:
06/21/2016
BeagleBone Green Wireless now shipping from Mouser

Seeed Studio BeagleBone Green Wireless

Mouser Electronics, Inc. is now stocking the BeagleBone Green Wireless, a Linux-based development board from BeagleBoard.org and Seeed Studio. The BeagleBone Green Wireless is the first board in the BeagleBone community to feature a wireless connection, boasting both 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth® 4.1
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Date:
06/21/2016
Analog Devices announced an optical sensor for gesture recognition, which improves sensing accuracy and reliability over existing solutions by measuring a subject’s position, proximity, and gestures from a single sensor. Competitive solutions requiring multiple sensors are often inaccurate, as the sensors â€
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Date:
06/21/2016
The fundamental Predictive Energy Balancing Patent has been allowed, and is in the process of issuing in the EU. That will bring the total number of world- wide issued patents for CogniPower's core control technology to seven. A US Patent covering enhancements of the Compound Converter has also been allowe
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Date:
06/21/2016
STMicroelectronics, a semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, announced that Qualcomm Technologies intends to add software support for ST’s inertial sensor solutions including its award-winning iNEMO inertial module. The Companies expect that the support will en
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Date:
06/20/2016
PSDcast- Mike Bruno of Phononic on next-gen thermal management

Mike Bruno of Phononic

In this PSDcast, Mike Bruno, VP & General Manager, Electronics Cooling at Phononic, talks to Alix Paultre of Power Systems Design about advanced cooling technologies and methodologies. With all of the pressure on power densities and shrinking package sizes, it is important to remember that managing heat ge
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Date:
06/17/2016
Mouser Electronics, the distributor with the newest semiconductors and electronic components, will showcase some of the newest sensor technologies from its manufacturer partners at the Sensors Expo and Conference 2016, June 22–23 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. The Sensors conferenc
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Date:
06/17/2016
CEVA, a leading licensor of signal processing IP for smarter, connected devices, congratulates the Bluetooth SIG on its announcement of Bluetooth 5, the latest evolution of its highly successfully low power wireless IoT standard. This eagerly awaited standard incorporates a number of advanced features that will si
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Date:
06/17/2016
Utilities can supercharge the EV market

Roland Hwang, NRDC

America’s utilities are uniquely positioned to supercharge the national electric vehicles market by spurring a rapid deployment of charging stations, increasing public awareness of EVs’ economic and environmental benefits, and incentivizing drivers to charge cars at times that will help bring more solar an
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Date:
06/17/2016
At the 2016 Symposia on VLSI Technology & Circuits, nano-electronics research center imec presented junction-less gate-all-around (GAA) nanowire (NW) FETs built in lateral and vertical configurations. With their simplified processing, improved reliability, reduced low frequency noise and lower IOFF values, th
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Date:
06/16/2016
Exar, a leading supplier of analog mixed-signal products serving the industrial, high-end consumer and infrastructure markets, will showcase its innovative Force Sensing Technology at Sensors Expo and Conference 2016, June 22-23 in San Jose, California. This technology allows Exar to offer complete sensor module so
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Date:
06/15/2016
Renesas' RZ/T1 motion control solution simplifies industrial drives and robotics systems development

Renesas’ RZ/T1 motion control solution kit

Renesas Electronics, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced the availability of a new reference solution focused on high-performance, real-time motion control applications equipped with the Renesas RZ/T1 microprocessor (MPU). Renesas’ RZ/T1 motion control solution kit delivers a co
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Date:
06/15/2016
PSDcast - Pradeep Shenoy of TI on the latest in board-level power

Pradeep Shenoy of Texas Instruments

In this PSDcast Pradeep Shenoy of Texas Instruments talks to Alix Paultre of Power Systems Design about the latest technologies in board-level DC/DC power systems. Between the often-conflicting requirements of power density, board real estate, and thermal management, today's engineer's are facing a daunting task.
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Date:
06/14/2016
Hoffmann + Krippner unveils wire-free polymer strain gage printed onto a PCB

P-DMS Wire-free Polymer Strain Gage

Hoffmann + Krippner announced that their new P-DMS Polymer Strain Gage is now shipping. This compact and cost-effective solution for measuring pressure is based on Hoffmann + Krippner’s industry leading and patented sensor paste technology printed onto a PCB board. Extremely sensitive to slight pressures, a s
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Date:
06/14/2016
Quantum Material appoints Sri Peruvemba CEO

Sri Peruvemba

Leading quantum dot manufacturer Quantum Materials announced that company board member Sri Peruvemba will be expanding his leadership role with the company to take the helm as Chief Executive Officer effective June 30, 2016. While founder and current CEO Stephen Squires will continue to have a strategic role, th
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Date:
06/14/2016
AVX upgrades SMPS MLCC simulation software

SpiCALCI simulation software

AVX, a leading manufacturer of passive components and interconnect solutions, has released a new version of its SpiCALCI simulation software, an engineering tool that calculates performance characteristics and parameters for its advanced switch mode power supply (SMPS) multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) to he
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Date:
06/14/2016
Harsh environments are a reality for many electrical systems used in motor control or solenoid control applications.  The electronics that control motors and solenoids are by necessity in close proximity to the high currents and voltages used to create the physical movement required by the end application.  In addition
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Date:
06/13/2016
It should come as no surprise to anyone that the continuing adoption of Digital Power System Management (DPSM) within the communications and computer industries continues to be driven, in large part, to the high current levels demanded by the sub-20nm ASICs and/or FPGAs that are at the core of their system architecture. By
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Date:
06/13/2016
Working in the industry, we live very close to the developments that are advancing our technology and the systems based upon them. We see nascent science turn into rough prototypes and then into finished products on a regular basis. We are familiar, even if not comfortable, with the rapid pace of progress and ho
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Date:
06/13/2016
Torex's latest DC/DC converters accept under 1.0V with an ultra-low supply current

XC9272 Series

Torex Semiconductor has launched the XC9272 series of synchronous step-down DC/DC converters. These converters support a low output voltage under 1.0V and achieve an ultra-low supply current. The demand for low power consumption is growing stronger, and the development of chipsets with reduced core voltages is
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Date:
06/13/2016
There have been several comparisons of eGaN FETs with silicon MOSFETs in a variety of applications, including hard-switched, soft-switched, and high-frequency power conversion. These studies have shown that eGaN FETs have large efficiency and power density advantages over silicon MOSFETs. Here we’ll focus on
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Date:
06/13/2016
Now that the first generation of mass-market consumer wearables are on the shelves, we can take a step back and analyze the issues that they have encountered and begin to architect a new generation that improves on their design. Key issues that are apparent are the need for greater battery autonomy – consumers wa
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Date:
06/13/2016
We are in a transition phase between two epochs of history; the end of the fossil-fuel dominance of society, and the start of a multi-layered green energy economy. This transition, as all change can be, is painful, but necessary if we are to achieve both the functional advances of a smart integrated grid and an
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Date:
06/11/2016
Integration or optimization…which comes first?

Larry Spaziani, GaN Systems

At APEC 2016 it became abundantly clear to the industry that GaN transistors are here, they're now, and they're proliferating. GaN Systems, EPC, Transphorm, Panasonic, Infineon, Texas Instruments, and other manufacturers and developers all displayed GaN products in varying readiness, from existing only on P
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Date:
06/11/2016
In this article we’ll show how a third way of defining average current leads to an infinite gain of the modulator gain for current-mode systems. Another simple derivation produces a fourth expression for the modulator gain, thus completing the set of gains to be found in the literature. Different Current-Mode Modu
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Date:
06/11/2016
STMicros connectivity portfolio targets USB-C and power delivery

The free STM32 USB-C and PD Middleware Stack is compliant with USB Type-C 1.2 and USB Power Delivery 2.0 specifications

As electronics companies worldwide increasingly look to implement the new USB Type-C and Power Delivery (PD) technology, STMicroelectronics, a semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, is making the task easier with a certified embedded software solution based on it
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Date:
06/09/2016
Nordic Semi launches nRF51824 Bluetooth low energy SoC for latest wireless signal and power connected-car intelligent automotive apps

The Nordic nRF51824 Bluetooth low energy SoC is qualified for use in automotive applications

Nordic Semiconductor announced the availability of the nRF51824 Bluetooth low energy (formerly Bluetooth Smart) System-on-Chip (SoC) for the latest connected car intelligent automotive applications and wireless in-car charging. The nRF51824 is qualified to the automotive AEC-Q100 stress test qualification fo
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Date:
06/08/2016
TI claims industry’s highest power density 12-V, 10-A, 10-MHz DC/DC converter

The TPS54A20 SWIFT synchronous DC/DC converter

Texas Instruments introduced the industry’s first 12-V, 10-A, 10-MHz series-capacitor buck converter that achieves more than 50 A/cm3 in current density, four times higher than current 12V power management component or solution available. The novel topology of the TPS54A20 SWIFT synchronous DC/DC converter enabl
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Date:
06/08/2016
Will conductive inks help wearables go truly wearable?

E-textiles are on the cusp of rapid growth

The first generation of wearable devices are constructed using mature, rigid technologies put inside a new box that can be worn. These are often bulky devices that are not truly wearable in the sense that our clothes are. This is, however, beginning to change, albeit slowly. New conformal, clothing-based components ar
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Date:
06/06/2016
Model railroad maker transforms market with introduction of Bluetooth low energy trains

Touchscreen smartphone and tablet control is enriching the enjoyment of a traditional hobby

Nordic Semiconductor announced that one of the world's oldest and largest traditional model railroad and train manufacturers, Bachmann Trains, is employing Nordic Semiconductor Bluetooth® low energy (previously known as Bluetooth Smart) nRF51822 Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) at the heart of its E-Z App system. E
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Date:
06/06/2016
Fluidic Energy has appointed Jim Enzor to the role of Chief Financial Officer as the company continues global expansion of its game-changing long duration zinc air energy storage technology. As CFO, Jim will lead global finance and play an instrumental role in driving top-line growth and margin expansion, and se
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Date:
06/03/2016
STMicro and SAG to develop tiny high-performance NFC tags for IoT

ST25 NFC tag IC

STMicroelectronics, a semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, and Securitag Assembly Group (SAG), a leading supplier of RFID transponders, announced a tiny NFC Ferrite Tag that uses STMicroelectronics’ ST25 NFC tag IC for IoT (Internet of Things) data-transmission ap
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Date:
06/01/2016
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