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DA VIncI™ rEAL-TI
04 iSAy
InTrO
‘never waste a good crisis’ is a phrase I’ve heard a lot of late.
I confess I don’t know who said it first but it very much captures
what we’ve been up to at rS components over the last few months.
We’ve renewed our focus on making sure that our range of electronic components and
test equipment is as up to date as we can make it, adding over 5,000 new products
per month. At the same time, we’ve undertaken a thorough and detailed review of our
pricing, reducing 165,000 prices since March. Finally, (as I hope you’ve noticed) we’ve
completely revised our quarterly magazine, giving it a new look and a new name to InSIDE eTech
reflect a completely new style and content.
04 iSAy
RS has been the electronic engineer’s comparison website since the web existed. 05 rS nEWSLInES
Our supplier agnostic approach means that worldwide, engineers like to use our
website as you’ve always used our catalogue: a sourcebook for the technologies, 06 DAVIncI™ rEAL-TIME VIDEO
SUrVEILLAncE TEchnOLOgy
components, industries and tools on the market today.
10 LIghTIng TEchnOLOgIES
That’s an awesome responsibility for our Product Management team – which we 13 ThErMAL MAnAgEMEnT
have greatly strengthened with the appointment of a group of specialists with strong
semiconductor industry expertise. Working 16 PrODUcT nEWS
together with the established team, they 18 cUTTIng POWEr bAck
are ensuring that our range remains fully
comprehensive, extending from the latest high
20 MOTOr cOnTrOL - ITALIAn STyLE
Terms and conditions: Terms and
conditions of sale set out in the current
RS Catalogue. This issue is valid from
performance Texas Instruments DaVinci™ 23 DESIgn TIPS
processors to staple 8-bit micros, connectors,
November 2009 to March 2010.
26 grEEn POWEr
passives, test & measurement and tools.
Published by: RS Components 28 cAPAcITIVE SEnSIng IS
Limited. Registered office: On ThE bUTTOn
Birchington Road, Weldon, Corby, These and other changes are reflected in
Northamptonshire NN17 9RS.
Registered No. 1002091. RS
our new customer magazine, which we’ve 31 LEgISLATIOn UPDATE
Components Ltd 2009. renamed eTech. It not only aims to cover the 32 WEEE ArTIcLE
RS are trademarks of RS
most significant Technologies, products and
36
Components Limited. An
Electrocomponents Company. information, but also gives you the opportunity USb 3.0
to share your thoughts and comments through 40 LUnch brEAk
our ‘iSay’, ‘Design Tips’ and ‘Lunch Break’
pages. Forward your suggestions and ideas 42 InDUSTry nEWS
to etech@rs-components.com
Glenn Jarrett
Head of Electronics Marketing
GLO_0088_1109 eTech - ISSUE 1 03
2. iSAy rS
MIKE LLOYD, MANAGING
DIRECTOR OF ML
nEWSLInES
ELECTRONICS, SAYS:
Improved control and visibility of new order options
“
online procurement from rS now online
Stop hiding
Website order options to help you plan
RS Purchasing has expanded capabilities Over 5,000 customers
requirements.
Manager™ is RS’s own including: already use RS
eProcurement tool Purchasing Manager™
developed for buyers. • Improved site control to reduce their rS have introduced two new online options
your
The system facilitates spend management procurement process to help plan order requirements. forward
”
online purchasing in a • New approval options costs. Go to orders enables online customers to specify
engineers
controlled and visible • Full audit trail from rswww.com/services which date you want to receive a complete
way and reduces demand to order and find out more. order on, and Scheduled Orders allows you
purchase to pay process placement to set up a schedule of drops for products
costs for medium to • Customised field from a single order. Prices are fixed at the
large organisations. terminology time of placing the order, so you can take
Using RS Purchasing • Support for advantage of lower prices available at
Manager™ helps buyers customer higher quantities, then programme delivery
to streamline the ordering cost centres, dates that meet your needs.
process throughout manual order
We’re an engineering-based industry, and I’ve never understood why creation, approval and number The new ordering options make it
it is that so many companies hide the people who do the design from invoicing, PM helps generation and easier for engineers and buyers to
their customers. When you buy legal services, you talk to the lawyers. companies to manage blanket orders plan production schedules and stock
When you buy accountancy services, you talk to the accountants. purchasing costs more • Consistent requirements, saving costs, with the
effectively. budget allocation confidence that rS have their products
When you buy engineering services, you talk to sales and marketing and control in stock. forward and Scheduled Orders
people who may or may not have been engineers once. The new upgraded RS • Enhanced are available when placing your order at
Purchasing Manager™ reporting options rswww.com
I’m not saying that the engineers
should be doing the sales people’s
job. By and large, engineers enjoy designing,
Fostering direct interaction enriches the
working environment of the engineers too.
When I ask our team what they enjoy about
If you’ve got a strong opinion and
would like the opportunity to get on
your soapbox, write it up in around
100 new energy- rS achieves carbon
and sales people enjoy selling, and the two
have different skillsets. But even companies
meeting customers I get reactions like “it
gives us a chance to show off”. Quite right.
300 words and email it to
etech@rs-components.com
efficient power Trust standard
like ours that sell design services can be coy
about letting their engineers out in front of
What kind of message does it send to the
people whose skills drive our industry, if we
supplies added to carbon footprint reduced by 2.5%
a real customer. What are they afraid of?
Confidentiality? These issues can be dealt with
tell them, ever so nicely, that they’re really not
smart enough to get face-face with the people
the rS brand range over three years.
RS UK has been requirements, and This has saved over
through appropriate management and training. who ultimately pay their salary? awarded the Carbon even less have 345.5 tonnes of CO2
The latest introductions into Trust standard (CTS) achieved level two over 3 years, and
Or is it people skills? There is this pervasive the RS Brand power at the highest level. certification. RS is reduced carbon
“
myth about engineers lacking these skills, supplies range gives The standard, issued the first electronics reduction cost
What are
which is simply wrong. I confess that the electronic design by the Carbon Trust, distributor to reach the allowances by £4,146
salesman in me cringes when an engineer engineers a high is an objective level two standard. for lighting alone.
quality, lower- benchmark that
they afraid of?
describes at length some snag we’ve run into
on a project, but the fault there is with me. I cost power assesses and accredits A significant part of
”
was an engineer once, but I’ve been selling supply solution an organisations the RS strategy to
confidentiality?
for long enough to fall into the trap of trying to for most commitment to reduce its carbon
wrap customers in cotton wool and pretend scenarios they are tackling climate emissions was in the
that these things don’t happen. I’ve never likely to face. The new range is change. To-date, less replacement of
known a customer to be actually put off by targeted at applications requiring increased efficiency, than 100 companies 1,382 light-bulbs
anything our engineers have said – and in fact low energy consumption requirements, with feature in the UK have met with energy
their frank input and enthusiasm often injects Mike Lloyd is Managing Director of ML products including new encapsulated, high efficiency, the Carbon Trust’s efficient lighting.
a note of reality into the dialogue that can be Electronics, specialists in innovative low energy PCB mounted PSUs, and external energy-
extremely beneficial to the relationship. electronics designs. efficient, switch mode desktop PSUs.
With over 30,000 products in the RS Brand range,
engineers and buyers have access to quality To find out more about how RS energy efficient
components at the lowest prices available. To products can reduce costs in your business,
learn more about how RS Brand products can help go to rswww.com
reduce your costs, go to rswww.com/rs
04 eTech - ISSUE 1 eTech - ISSUE 1 05
3. DaVinci
™
real-time video
surveillance technology
ccTV systems are everywhere – enhancing public safety and security,
which can be very important in our daily time. Sometimes the
information is monitored by a security guard in a control room – more
often it is simply stored for subsequent analysis if an event occurs.
Useful though the footage is to catch perpetrators and bring them
to justice, the cost of real-time monitoring means that the opportunity to
nip problems in the bud when they happen is often missed.
The availability of low cost, high
performance DSP cores,
such as Texas Instruments DaVinciTM
Video object classification
A key area in automating CCTV
monitoring is classifying objects on
family, can be used to analyse video video footage in real-time. Yu-An Shih,
footage automatically and in real-time working under the leadership
in order to alert a human operator of Dr. Dahnoun, has looked at the
when an event is happening. The most appropriate algorithms to use
proliferation of IP networks and the when implementing a real-time video
convergence of many technologies object classification system on
on to them means that it is likely that a DaVinciTM platform.
such a network will be available
at most sites and provide the perfect Shih identified that an automated
backbone for transmitting video data. video surveillance system would
This potentially allows the intelligence generally go through the sequence
to be distributed around the network, of steps shown in Figure 1. The first
into the cameras for example, so that stage is to identify the moving objects
only relevant footage is transmitted in the image sequences, and eliminate
over the network. image regions that belong to the
background environment, probably
A team at Bristol University, under using a background model acquired in
the leadership of Dr. Naim Dahnoun, teach mode. The next step is to track
is investigating techniques for and identify the moving object. Is it a
automating the monitoring process car, a person, or etc.? Finally, further
using Texas Instruments DaVinciTM analysis can yield more information,
DSP platforms. One important aspect for example about the nature of the
of video surveillance is video object activity or the identity of a human.
classification. It is discussed in the
following section. Continued page 08 >
06 eTech - ISSUE 1 eTech - ISSUE 1 07
4. bAckgrOUnD < Continued from page 06 reason, methods such as MLE,
SUbTrAcTIOn Decision Tree, and k-means are
Although this sounds straightforward, there often used.
are hidden complexities. Background
objects aren’t necessarily completely Performance
ObjEcT
stationary. Repetitive motion, like tree MoG algorithm,
TrAckIng
leaves or camera vibrating needs to be shadow detection,
allowed for. For instance, on a windy and classical
day there can be a lot of random connected
ObjEcT movement in the background. components
cLASSIfIcATIOn Moreover, some detailed steps analysis were
are not shown on Figure 1. implemented
Shadow detection and removal in a previous
fUrThEr can also improve the result. Also, project based
AnALySES background subtraction yields a great on TI DM642
number of foreground pixels, which DSP platform, and
need to be grouped into different regions a performance of 15
figure 1: The stages of through connected component labeling. frames per second was
video surveillance achieved. Further optimisation
Algorithm selection could be done to achieve a higher frame rate. As for
Shih noted that the selection of algorithm in one stage classification part, Shih’s goal for the current project is
is not entirely independent of the others. For example, an accuracy rate of 75% with at least ten frames per
background subtraction could be improved by a classifier second. A slower or less accurate system would not be
that can detect false foreground regions. On the other useful in the field, in his view.
hand, if the background subtraction algorithm is very
accurate, the later stages can be simplified. getting started
Many of the Texas Instruments DaVinciTM DSP
On the hardware side, embedded systems have limited processors are dual-core, consisting of an ARM9 core
memory, especially internal fast memory. Hence it is for graphical user interfaces and a DSP core for intense
usually required to manage the memory usage manually. signal processing. A video processing subsystem
Another issue is the arithmetic format. The Bristol team (VPSS) is usually included to facilitate video capture and
is targeting a fixed-point DSP so is avoiding algorithms display and to reduce processor load. Thus it is a high
Omron’s A6S-H Surface Mount DIP Switch from RS
that required floating-point operations, therefore reducing performance, low power and low cost platform, ideal for
the cost and power consumption. many video applications.
Simplicity is also an important issue RS offers a range of Texas Instruments Digital Video
when choosing an algorithm. A highly Evaluation Module (DVEVM), enabling developers to
Designed for improved solder heat resistance, the A6S-H has a peak solder temperature of 260oC. This range features 1-10 poles,
complicated algorithm is usually start immediate evaluation of DaVinci™ processors gold-plated twin contacts and slide-type self cleaning mechanism, which ensures high reliability. Supplied on sticks for automatic
slower, more error prone and more and begin building digital video applications such as placement, slide switches are available in washable form with a seal tape.
difficult to improve than other simpler IP security cameras as well as digital photo frames,
algorithms. Therefore, a complex digital signage, video doorbells, and portable digital
algorithm will not be selected video products that have yet to be invented. The
Specifications
unless it can greatly outperform the TMS320DM365 procesor, for example offers developers Switching Capacity 25mA at 24VDC
others. For background subtraction, access to H.264 and other video formats in a variety of 10µA(minimum current) at 3.5VDC
Running Gaussian Average (RGA) resolutions including 1080p HD.
and Mixture of Gaussian (MoG) are Ambient Operating Temperature -20 to +70oC at 60% max. (with no icing or condensation)
commonly used algorithms. MoG The Digital Video Evaluation Module (DVEVM) allows Ambient Operating Humidity 35 to 90% (at 5 to 35oC)
is more accurate, but its memory developers to write production-ready application code
usage is many times that of RGA. for the ARM and provides access to the HMJCP Insulation Resistance 100MΩ min. (at 250VDC)
However, the selection will depend coprocessor core using DaVinciTM APIs to begin
Contact Resistance 200mΩ max (initial) value
on the application. The result of MoG immediate application development for DaVinciTM digital
algorithm on a video from PETS media processors. The DVEVM is a complete out of box Dielectric Strength 500VAC for 1 min between terminals of the same polarity, and
Metrics can be seen in Figure 2. experience. The developer can turn on the board and between terminals of different polarity
hook up the included LCD screen. The board will boot
Vibration Resistance Malfunction: 10 to 55Hz, 1.5mm double amplitude
As for shadow detection and removal, MontaVista Linux and run a GUI that can be controlled
methods usually exploit the fact by the included IR remote. The GUI includes access to Shock Resistance Malfunction: 300 m/s min
that illumination has larger effect on three demos and the ability to run five different codec
brightness than chromaticity. While it combinations. Life Expectancy Mechanical: 1,000 operations min.
would require more computation, it Electrical: 1,000 operations min
is worth doing because it can result Operating Force Flat/raised typ 0.29 N min (30gf)
in more correct representations of
the objects. When considering object Weight 0.25g(2 poles), 0.41g (4 poles), 0.58g (6 poles)
classifiers, those that are a little less 0.73g (8 poles), 0.87g (10 poles)
figure 2: Original image and the result accurate but faster should be favored See the full range of TI devices from rS,
of Mixture of gaussian algorithm over much slower ones. For this including DaVinci™ processors at rswww.com/ti Omron designs operability, user-friendliness and customer benefits
into all of its switches. Visit www.omron-rs.eu to view the range
08 eTech - ISSUE 1
5. Image courtesy of Osram
Opto Semiconductor.
“
The advent of LEDs in our business
has made the development and
production of new lighting equipment
easier and faster. benefits include
energy savings, reduced maintenance
and better long term reliability...
”
giuseppe froio, head of product engineering at grIVEn.
LEDS The controllability and energy efficiency Quanta Light getting started
of LEDs is leading to ever widening Mekatronica, England, for example, made Cypress HB LED demonstration boards
applications. For example, GRIVEN, of Mantua, innovative use of OSTAR to create a 15-25m are an excellent place to start to evaluate
Italy, one of the world leaders in entertainment long illuminated flexi-rope using just two LED the flexibility and capability of LED
bUrnIng
and architectural lighting, is using LED devices. Mekatronika’s Quanta Light made lighting technology in the context of
technology for an increasing number of lighting its debut at the 100% Design exhibition, and current and future projects.
fixtures. “The advent of LEDs in our business made full use of the efficiency and flexibility of
has made the development and production OSTAR to deliver outstanding light quality in a RS also offers the ACULED® Gold
brIghT
of new lighting equipment easier and faster. dazzling variety of colours. and Silver Designer Kits, offering a
Benefits include energy savings, reduced wide range of different LED colours
maintenance and better long term reliability. According to Niko Nikolic, Mekatronika’s and combinations. Each kit includes a
We are seeing performance improve rapidly Technical Director. ‘LEDs are the means to selection of mounted ACULED modules,
in terms of luminosity and efficiency, and lower energy consumption. With Quanta Light, lenses and different heat sinks as well
EffIcIEnTLy
costs coming down, which will help drive the we have developed a state-of-the-art system as the required power supply. Of course
technology into more new market segments”, that conserves more energy and dramatically we are able to support you across
explains Giuseppe Froio, head of product reduces heat loss.The OSRAM OSTAR light the full breadth of a full LED design,
engineering at GRIVEN. engines offered by RS are much smaller than including power supply, drivers, thermal
those that are already on the market, can be management and optical considerations.
OSTAr applications arranged in close-packed 2D matrix, which Go to rswww.com/electronics
The OSRAM OSTAR range of SMT LED results in efficient optical coupling to our to see more.
Efficient light where you want it, when you want devices is an excellent example of the rapid flexi-rope fibres, and their cooling system
innovation that this technology is seeing. means that their lifespan is far longer (50,000 +
it – that’s the promise of new high power, high Designed for lighting and ultra-miniature pico- hours) and most important of all, they consume
efficiency lighting technologies like the Ostar projection applications, OSTAR is becoming far less energy.’
range from Osram Opto Semiconductor. The increasingly popular in a whole range of
industrial applications like microscope lighting, OSrAM portfolio
new range is part of a comprehensive expansion flash lamps, traffic lights and projection as well RS now offer a full range of OSRAM LED
of the rS LED lighting range, which now covers as the more usual room and effect illumination. products. These devices are highly compact,
95% of OSrAM high brightness LED products, last 50 to 80,000 hours and produce very little
Exceptionally compact, the OSRAM OSTAR heat. They can deliver any desired colour from
a range of complementary LED devices from SMT LED is the light source for any application cool or warm white to full RGB. The range
other manufactures, as well as LED controllers, requiring bright light in a compact space. The includes red, green, blue and ultrawhite chips
devices are offered in a range of colours, as well as a controllable RGB device that offers
drivers and system solutions. and the SMD chips are easily combined with flexible colour changing on the fly. All parts are
secondary optics. Highly efficient OSTAR fully compatible with dimming technology.
devices deliver the maximum light for the
minimum energy input. As a result, they also
create the minimum of waste heat – reducing
thermal management issues and the need for
secondary cooling through fans and heatsinks. find out more at rswww.com/osram
10 eTech - ISSUE 1 eTech - ISSUE 1 11
7. “ Many modern systems
will have a much higher
heat load in a much smaller
footprint, resulting in the need
for a significant increase in
airflow against higher system
resistance.
”
< Continued from page 13 The benefit is that you get twice the performance from the same size aperture is much more efficient when using a specially profiled inlet ring
fan. This gives the potential to reduce the size of current applications to smoothly guide the air into the impeller. Simply relying on a hole cut
fan basics or allow for future increases in performance. Since they share the in a flat surface will reduce the amount of airflow and increase the noise
The easiest way to reduce fan noise is to use a large diameter fan to standard dimensions and features of previous fans, converting, as turbulent vortices emanate from the sharp lip. Any gap between
move a large volume of air at low velocity. Fine if size is no object: but upgrading or retrofitting is easy and they are designed to have exactly the aperture and the impeller also affects performance and is equally
the more compact the application, the smaller the fan has to be, and the the same service life. relevant when using the correctly sized inlet ring, which should sit just
higher the air velocity and consequently the higher the noise levels. As inside the impeller.
with most engineering solutions, a compromise is needed. So, what are cabinet cooling
the options? At the other end of the scale, rather than direct cooling of the electronic Mounting is also critical. Without the integral case of a compact axial
circuits, sometimes the requirement is to cool a larger cabinet. In this fan, a frame is required to support the motor from the rear. If this is
Many modern systems will have a much higher heat load in a case the approach is very different. Rather than the very directional positioned too close to the rotating impeller further noise issues can
much smaller footprint, resulting in the need for a significant increase airflow from an axial fan, this type of application is better suited to a arise from what are known as blade passing frequencies. Pressure
in airflow against higher system resistance. Until recently, these backward curved centrifugal fan which can move a body of air through waves from the impeller can impinge on any adjacent structures and
conflicting characteristics would have been impossible to resolve the plenum of the cabinet. Typically, air is drawn into the eye of the create a low frequency tonal noise which relates directly to the number
without a larger fan, but the award winning S-Force range from impeller through an aperture and accelerated outward at 90 degrees to of blades and rotational speed of the impeller. If you’re really unlucky,
ebm-papst was designed specifically for this scenario. These the inlet flow. The whole cabinet is in effect pressurised as air passes this can then set off resonant frequencies throughout the application.
ultra-high performance DC compact fans can generate up to through and out of the unit, taking the heat with it.
950m3/h and overcome pressures of up to 1200 Pascals. Having
the same compact dimensions as their standard counterparts, this Although the backward curved fan will do this more effectively and
can only be achieved by rotating the fan at incredible speeds of up to quietly than an axial fan, it does require a little bit more attention
14,000 rpm. At full load, the tips of the blades are travelling at when designing its installation. To avoid potential noise issues and get See more of the rS range in thermal management devices
over 140mph! optimum performance, there are a few factors to consider. The inlet at rswww.com/electronics
14 eTech - ISSUE 1 eTech - ISSUE 1 15
8. PrODUcT PrODUcT
nEWS nEWS
PhIhOng ShELf MOUnT EbM-PAPST Ec TEchnOLOgy
POE 8-POrT InjEcTOr bAckWArD cUrVED cASSETTE fAnS
125W midspan injector for Power over Ethernet. A more efficient drop in replacement for
standard axial fans.
n An 8 Port Gigabit Power over Ethernet midspan for 10/100/1000 Base-T
networks, with IEEE 802.3af detection, disconnect and overload protection. n A backward curved centrifugal fan has the
Giving Full Power of 125W (15.4W per Port, with no Power management advantage of developing higher pressure than an
required) and full protection this is the ideal low cost PoE solution. axial fan. The disadvantage has been the greater LEcrOy
rS Online search term: phihong power over ethernet complexity of installation, where certain factors WAVESUrfEr®
can have a significant impact on both noise and MXS-A SErIES
performance; These issues are now a thing of the Engineered for efficient
past because ebm-papst has launched a “plug debug, validation and
and play” product which is guaranteed to ensure documentation from
TrAcOPOWEr TEP SErIES optimum performance. The Ec cassette fan range 200Mhz to 1ghz.
is available in 175mm and 190mm diameter
Of Dc/Dc cOnVErTErS
sizes for 24VDc, 48VDc or 230V Ac operation. n The new Wavesufer Xs
Ideal solutions where Pcb mounting
MIcrOchIP is not an option.
comprising a high efficiency ebm-papst Ec and MXs-A oscilloscopes are
nAnOWATT XLP™ McUs centrifugal fan, inlet nozzle, mounting frame, designed with speed and
finger guard and connecting cable, each of the responsiveness in mind. This
Extreme low power PIc microcontollers with the n The TEP series from TRACOPOWER provides
worlds lowest Sleep current. component parts has been shows up in improved trigger
multiple options for industrial applications. The new perfectly matched to ensure rates for every situation – from
TEP-100 series features a metal enclosure which optimum performance.
MArL PrOfESSIOnAL capturing waveforms and making
n Microchips new nanaWatt XLP™ families of PIc can be fitted to a chassis or heatsink, and an optional All you have to do InDIcATOrS measurements, to using FFTs
microcontrollers offer a new industry benchmark for chassis mount adaptor greatly simplifies installation. is fix it to your A stylish new range of metal and decoding serial data. With
the lowest sleep current consumption, providing a
application. bodied panel indicator LEDs. higher samples rates, 10Mpts/CH
rich and compatible low-power migration path that With the TEP-75 series also available, input voltages
includes on-chip peripherals for USb and mTouch™. rS Online memory and LabNotebook™, no
across the TEP range from 9~75VDC, with output search term: n The new Marl panel indicator other product I this class offers
ranges between 5~48VDC on TEP-100 series EbM Papst Ec LEDs will operate from any
With sleep currents down to 20nA, real-time clock such a powerful combination of
products, and a reduced output power of 75W cassette fan voltage in the range
currents down to 500nA, and watchdog timer features and banner specs.
through the TEP-75 series products. The wide 12-28V with minimal variation
currents down to 400na, the XLP™ PIc McUs are rS Online search term:
input range, combined with reverse input rotection in brightness making them
ideal for any battery-powered or power-constrained Lecroy wavesurfer mxs
make these converters excellent solutions ideal for battery powered
application. Microchip have integrated all three for battery operated systems. systems and other applications
features into their 8-bit and 16-bit XLP™ series, rS Online search term: Traco TEP where input voltage is subject
providing more freedom
to wide variations. Unlike most
for designers who need
LEDs they are insensitive to the
products to operate
polarity of the incoming power supply, and will work
longer while using less
equally well wired either way around. The new LEDs are also
battery power.
highly energy efficient, drawing just 8mA from a 12V supply
rS Online search term:
around 25% less than existing versions.
Microchip low power
Available in two sizes, for 8.1mm and 12.7mm panel apertures all
hAMEg MO3522/3524 versions offer a wide 120 degree viewing angle, and are a plug-in
350Mhz 2 AnD 4 replacement for existing Marl and other LED indicator panels.
chAnnEL DIgITAL rS Online search term: marl led indicator panels
OSrAM OSTAr SMT OScILLOScOPES
LED power in a tiny
The latest DSO (Digital
package.
Storage Oscilloscopes)
rIchcO Pcb from hameg.
SUPPOrTS n Designed for
AnD SPAcErS lighting and
n These instruments provide
ultra-miniature
Over 80 new lines added to 350 MHz bandwidth, 4 GSa/s
pico projection
range; all available for next sampling rate and a storage depth
day delivery.
applications,
of 2 MByte per channel. Featuring SWITchcrAfT Eh SErIES
the OSTAr cOnnEcTOrS
VGA resolution on the 6.5 inch
SMT LED from Osram
n New ranges include Self retaining TFT display. Using VirtualScreen, A complete line of audio, video, and
Opto Semiconductors unites
PCB spacers, Edge holding PCB the typical display for analogue data connectors built into standard
outstanding power efficiency and
supports and Mini dual-locking posts signals can be extended outside panel-mount XLr housings.
rgb colour mixing capabilities in a compact
which snap into place on both the the displayed area. A DVI output is
surface mountable package.
chassis and the board and requires provided for a projector or standard n Once mounted, connecting your equipment
no fixing screws. TFT monitor. Menu driven and to the back of an EH Series connector is fast
Thinfilm and Thingan chip architecture helps the OSTAr SMT
rS Online search term: multilingual. and easy. Most connectors are feed through,
provide provides extremely high luminance and luminous flux,
richco pcb processing rS Online search term: which means standard cabling is simply plugged
while glass window protection and anti-reflection coating (Arc)
hMO series oscilloscopes into the back of your equipment, then plugged into the back of the EH Series
on the output window keeps performance high. Available in a
connector. For those EH Series connectors that are not feed through, solder
variety of colours, the OSTAr SMT LED is ideal for applications
lugs are clearly marked for simple, secure solder connections. All EH Series
requiring the highest possible power density.
connectors are available individually bagged with mounting screws.
rS Online search term: Osram OSTAr
rS Online search term: switchcraft eh xlr
16 eTech - ISSUE 1 See more online - Over 5,000 new products are added at rswww.com/electronics every month eTech - ISSUE 1 17
9. The success of embedded
electronics is opening markets
for new products demanding battery
new Deep-Sleep Mode
In Deep Sleep the microcontroller’s CPU,
integrated Flash and SRAM, and most
failure if the battery voltage falls or if the
battery is changed. An Ultra-Low-Power
Wake-Up, external interrupt (INT0) or MCLR
QDS = (TINIT x IDD) + (TPOR x IPOR) + (TPD) x IPDDS)
Where:
standby times measured in decades rather peripherals are not powered. In devices signal can also wake the MCU from Deep TINIT = Initialisation time to resume full-
than years or months, including sealed- featuring an on-chip regulator, this, too, is Sleep mode. power operation
for-life security and fire-safety equipment powered down. This achieves the lowest IDD = Initialisation current
such as smoke alarms offering increased possible current draw without completely Maximising Deep Sleep Savings TPOR = Time required for power-on reset
convenience and reliability. There are also removing power from the device. Typical Deep Sleep delivers the greatest IPOR = POR current
many opportunities for environmental Deep Sleep current for nanoWatt XLP advantages in applications that use no IPDDS = Static current in Deep Sleep
monitoring and control devices that rely on MCUs range from 13nA to 50nA. The peripherals while asleep, demand accurate
energy harvested from ambient sources. PIC24F16KA102 has demonstrated Deep timekeeping with minimal current draw, The value of TPD when both expressions
Sleep operating current as low as 20nA. or must operate in extreme temperatures. are equal gives the minimum viable Deep
New microcontroller families, conceived to Since power is removed from the core, Sleep duration, referred to as the breakeven
cUTTIng
operate within unprecedented minuscule To avoid interrupting the application, waking from Deep Sleep causes a device time (TBE).
power limits, will enable embedded I/O pin states are retained and the 32kHz reset rather than resuming from the next
developers to satisfy such demands. Since crystal clock continues to operate. instruction, as in the conventional Sleep getting Started
the majority of embedded products spend Dedicated Deep-Sleep registers provide mode. Hence, there are extra overheads Recently-introduced nanoWatt XLP™
90%-99% of the time powered down, storage for up to four bytes of critical to re-initialise the device after wake up. MCUs including the PIC18F46J50 ,
POWEr bAck
innovative sleep modes are a key feature of application data. As a result, Deep Sleep mode is typically PIC18F46J11 and PIC24F16KA102
such devices. best used with sleep times of one second families all feature Deep Sleep Mode.
The nanoWatt XLP architecture includes or more. Available development tools include a
Adding to Proven Techniques unique peripherals that operate while the number of development boards and kits
TO ThE bOnE
The latest generation ultra-low-power MCU is in Deep Sleep mode. These provide To calculate whether Deep Sleep or Sleep supporting the new device types.
MCU technology from Microchip, called valuable extra flexibility to manage the mode will deliver the greatest power
nanoWatt XLP™, adds a new Deep Sleep application. The Deep Sleep Real-Time savings when the application is inactive,
mode alongside the multiple low-power Clock and Calendar (RTCC), for example, the total charge consumed in Sleep mode
modes already implemented in Microchip’s allows developers to set a wake-up is compared with the total charge in Deep
nanoWatt™ MCUs. In addition, continued period from one second to many years. Sleep mode. The Sleep-mode charge is
support for nanoWatt techniques to reduce A dedicated Deep Sleep Watchdog Timer given by IPDSLP x TPD, where IPDSLP
new ultra-ultra-low-power embedded dynamic power, such as two-speed startup (DSWDT), which consumes less power than is the static current in Sleep mode and
and clock-switching capability, minimises the regular WDT, allows device wake-up TPD is the time for which the device is to
McUs allow embedded systems to last a power consumption throughout the entire from a time-out alarm. In addition, Deep be powered down. The total Deep Sleep for more information visit
lifetime on one battery. duty cycle. Sleep Brown-out Reset (DSBOR) prevents charge is expressed as: rswww.com/microchip
18 eTech - ISSUE 1 eTech - ISSUE 1 19
10. MOTOr cOnTrOL -
Italian style
Italy has long been the home of world leading manufacturers
of machine tools, production equipment and consumer
electrical appliances, and has thus become something of a
centre of excellence for electric motor control electronics.
We spoke to a number of rS customers in Italy, who proved
to have strong views on the new control solutions being
offered by the semiconductor industry, and coping with the
requirements set by new rules on energy using products.
higher integration He continued, “The biggest the near future we are planning
For Studioemme of Bologna, challenges that we had to face to complete this family of
specialists in the design and were miniaturisation of the integrated control systems by
manufacture integrated servo- system and heat dissipation. adding higher power models”.
drives for brushless motors, To achieve miniaturisation, we
higher integration is a top priority modified the power supplies fighting harmonics
in its target market of machine and changed some of the Among the recent rules impacting
tools. Francesco Borghesi, components. For example, low motor control systems, are IEC
Studioemme R&D designer noise current sensors – which are standards which set limits for
says, “In our latest product line, great but bulky – were replaced the harmonics content in the
we encompassed both power by smaller sensors, and optical current absorbed from the mains.
and control circuitry in the same encoders were replaced by Selpro (Brescia), suppliers of
system, installed right on the absolute magnetic encoders. Our speed controls based on voltage
motor. This allows a significant Field Oriented Control algorithm steps or phase partialisation is
simplification of the cable routing - which we developed in strongly focussed on this issue.
between the machine and its collaboration with the University Their products are used in large
control board, as it becomes of Bologna for a previous product HVAC equipment and in industrial
possible to connect all the motors family - has not changed, even refrigeration systems. Fausto
by a single CANopen cable. though in order to take advantage Rizzi, a design engineer at Selpro,
Higher integration also reduces of its full potential, high resolution explains, “We managed
electromagnetic compatibility encoders and low noise current
problems.” sensors would be needed. For Continued page 22 >
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