2016 Embedded World Exhibition in Nuremberg, Germany was the world’s biggest exhibition of its kind for the international embedded community. As I traveled through the aisles I saw a variety of new products that just got launched by the hundreds of exhibitors, I chose a few to focus on in this article.
MSC
MSC introduced us for the first time with the SMARC 2.0. The SMARC 2.0 module MSC SM2S-IMX6 is based on the NXP™ i.MX6 system-on-chip and ranges from quad-core to single-core performance. The MSC SM2-MB-EP1 platform board comes in the popular Mini-ITX format and allows access to most features of the new SMARC 2.0 standard. MSC Technologies is a member of the SGeT (Standardization Group for embedded Technologies) and has worked with other leading embedded companies to create SMARC 2.0 (Smart Mobility ARChitecture) which is intended to be the best and most future-proof standard for small form-factor embedded modules, and equally suited for ARM/RISC CPUs and x86 processors. MSC is the first to launch the new SMARC 2.0 and more companies are on the way to release similar products.
Congatec
Congatec, a leading technology company for embedded computer modules, single board computers (SBCs), embedded design & manufacturing (EDM) services presented at its booth its new innovations. Later at the press conference Congatec appointed a design service company named Technagon as a sales technology partner to strengthen its portfolio of customer-specific system design & manufacturing services for point-of-sale (POS) and ticketing systems, vending machines and systems, digital signage and eMobility applications.
Samtec
At Samtec’s booth I got to see some of their innovations starting from the advanced IC Packaging division, the Z-Ray® micro array interposers which are ultra-low profile, high density, highly customizable solutions for board-to-board, IC-to-board, and cable-to-board applications. I was introduced to the FireFly™ Micro Flyover System™, the first interconnect system that gives a designer the flexibility of using micro footprint optical and copper interconnects interchangeably with the same connector system.
NXP
NXP’s Smarter World Tour Started its journey in Europe, Paris on Jan.07. The Smarter World Tour is a highly visible, 36 ton, 2 level, fully mobile semi-truck trailer designed by Luigi Colani which turns into a large and spacious mobile tradeshow. The aim of the NXP Smarter World Tour in Europe is to allow NXP to engage with their customers, partners, as well as universities and communities, and let them discover and experience first-hand the breadth of innovative solutions and technology expertise of the new NXP. The truck features 138 connected demonstrations on-board, highlighting technologies and products that are driving the Internet of Things (IoT) today and connected products of tomorrow, from the world’s smallest microcontrollers to the most complex networking infrastructure through the most secured NFC solutions. At the Embedded World exhibition I got to see this massive truck and all of NXP’s innovations. Among all other developments NXP Semiconductors N.V has announced how its Near Field Communication (NFC) solutions can drive innovation for embedded system designs in the smart home, access management and home banking as part of the company’s vision to drive a new era in NFC. The company released its NTAG I²C plus, which extends the family of connected tag solutions that combine passive NFC with an I²C interfaces well known for enabling NFC commissioning, simple “tap-to-connect” communications between smart devices to the home network. NXP also introduced the QorIQ LS1012A processor, delivering enterprise-class performance and security capabilities to consumer and networking applications, all in a package size normally associated with microcontrollers, and the AXP family of logic translators, designed for low-power and high-performance applications. Another big news release from NXP was the world’s Smallest Integrated Single Chip System for the Internet of Things, Customers can now purchase the i.MX 6Dual and i.MX 6Quad single chip system module (SCM), ideal for space-constrained products which require big processing power and functionality. The SCM line of products integrate the i.MX 6Dual or i.MX 6Quad applications processor, a fully featured power management system, memory and additional design simplifying components into a tiny 17mmX14mmX1.7mm package (1GB version-the size of a U.S. dime.
AMD
AMD announced its 3rd Generation AMD Embedded G-Series SoCs and the Embedded G-Series LX SoC, providing customers a broadened portfolio of performance options. The latest offerings expand developers’ ability to scale x86 platforms, starting with the entry-level AMD Embedded G-Series LX SoC, which is pin compatible to the previous generation G-Series SoC devices. in adittion two new, higher performing 3rd Generation AMD Embedded G-Series SoCs, codenamed “Prairie Falcon” and “Brown Falcon,” were announced as well, these introduce for the first time pin Compatibility for GSeries processors with the higher performance AMD Embedded R-Series SoC. These new products expand upon the low power capabilities of the award-winning AMD Embedded G-Series SoC platform, bringing scalable performance, power, and price across the CPU, GPU, multimedia, and I/O controller hardware, helping to lower development costs for AMD customers. Together, the new G-Series processors deliver immersive, graphically rich experiences across a broad range of platforms, from entry-level to mainstream gaming, digital signage, imaging, and industrial control.
ANALOG
The leading technologies and embedded solutions that MSC presented were in the fields of; Healthcare – Wearable Health Monitoring and IOT Powered By ADPD103 (Universal Optical Front-End) The Heart Rate Measurement is supported by the ADPD103 Analog Devices’ Universal Optical Front-End. It takes care of the entire receive-and transmit-signal chain and communicates over I2C. To reject motion artifacts, the ultra-low power ADXL362 3-axis Motion sensor is included. The sensor board for Ectrodermal Activity (EDA) and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) is based on a discrete analog front-end to maximize performance at minimum power dissipation. In addition the field of Motor Control and Power Conversion presented A joint Analog Devices and Innovasic effort, this demonstration shows the real-time Ethernet network connectivity for field devices. Analog Devices’ reference designs provide precision, high performance measurement and diagnostic capability for the temperature and pressure transmitter designs. In the field of instrumentation they presented Multichannel Data Acquisition System for Ultra Low Power Applications Powered by ADP5090 Energy Harvesting Ultra Low Power Boost Regulator and in the field of Industry 4.0/IoT the launched the Loop-Powered Sensor Nodes Diagnostic and Asset Control with HART-Enabled Data Communications The demo shows a range of 4-20 mA loop-powered, HART enabled field instruments connected to a HART enabled analog input card. It provides the capability at the system level to monitor the process variables as well as assess instrument health with additional diagnostic and status information through HART, all within the tight power constraints of the 4-20 mA loops.
