31 August 2022 FEATURING: • Telecommunications,Wireless, IoT, RF &Microwave • Optoelectronics, Photonics, Displays & Lighting • Interconnect, Passive & Electromechanical • Real-Time Location Services &Geo-Positioning • Spotlight:Women, Youth&Social Upliftment Every cloud has an ICORP lining
Dataweek, 31 August 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 1 TELECOMMUNICATIONS, WIRELESS, IoT, RF & MICROWAVE FEATURE 31 August 2022 Vol. 45 No. 7 News................................................................................. 3 Systems, components, design.......................... 8 General ............................................................................ 29 Hot chips......................................................................31 Open [re]sources ....................................................... 32 QuickFind index .................................................... IBC contents on the cover features regulars Telecommunications, wireless, IoT, RF & microwave...................................................................11 The benefits of Wi-Fi 6 and 5G for the IoT. Interconnect, passive & electromechanical.......15 A look into cable harness testing solutions, how design changes can minimise high-frequency signal loss, and achieving high-reliability isolation. Optoelectronics, photonics, displays & lighting.................................................................................22 Read about testing next-gen transceivers, and how to work with near IR LEDs. Real-time location services & geo-positioning..................................................................25 A brief rundown of what UWB is and its importance in location tracking. Spotlight: Women, youth & social upliftment.................................................................27 Sune von Solms offers her perspectives on education and the role that women play in engineering. 31 August 2022 FEATURING: • Telecommunications,Wireless, IoT, RF &Microwave • Optoelectronics, Photonics, Displays & Lighting • Interconnect, Passive & Electromechanical • Real-Time Location Services &Geo-Positioning • Spotlight:Women, Youth&Social Upliftment Every cloud has an ICORP lining iCorp Technologies entered the South African market in 2008 with a focus on electronic component distribution. The company’s dedicated and knowledgeable technical and sales team supports customers in broad fields including industrial automation, mining, security, track and trace, and utility metering. Its latest ‘iCorp of Things’ line provides IoT engineers with leading technologies and reliable products in this ever-changing field. For more information contact iCorp Technologies, +27 11 781 2029, [email protected], www.icorptechnologies.co.za
Dataweek, 31 August 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 2 NEWS Disclaimer While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements, inserts and company contact details are printed as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material. Published by: Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd, 1st Floor Stabilitas, 265 Kent Avenue, Randburg Tel: +27 11 543 5800 [email protected] Gauteng Tracy Wolter, Tel: +27 11 543 5800, [email protected] KwaZulu-Natal Jane van der Spuy, Tel: +27 83 234 5412, [email protected] Western Cape Contact Durban or Jhb numbers for details Advertising: Print and Online Sales Manager: Malckey Tehini [email protected] Editor: Peter Howells, B.Tech (Electronic Engineering), [email protected] Subscription services For address changes, subscriptions, renewal status or missing issues call +27 11 543 5800 or [email protected] or WRITE TO: Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd, Box 385, Pinegowrie 2123 Subscribe online: www.technews.co.za All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, adapted, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Technews Publishing (PTY) Ltd. Reg No. 2005/034598/07 ISSN 0256-8934 VOLUME 45 NO 7 31 AUGUST 2022 From the editor’s desk Subscribe online: www.technews.co.za Peter In a televised broadcast last month, South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa announced a plan to end the current load shedding that has been plaguing South Africa and its economy. While the sweeping changes that were announced are certainly welcome, it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to stop load shedding. Currently during peak hours, SA is short of about 6000 MW of energy and the plan would see this shortfall catered for. However, the Energy Crisis Committee comprising of six ministers has now revealed that there is only the potential to add 1950 MW of capacity and even this figure relies on many criteria that are somewhat unrealistic. Eskom requires consent to purchase surplus power that is available from current independent power producers (IPPs), and if this consent is granted, will see only up to 1000 MW of power potentially delivered in the next three months. This is only one-sixth of the power needed to stop load shedding during peak hours. Over and above this, there is also another 600 MW that can be connected to the grid, but this seems unlikely given the vast amount of red tape that needs to be cut through to make this happen. The plan would also see SA purchasing power from neighbouring countries through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) but this would mean only a further 100 to 200 MW of power added within a month. Will this added power be welcome? Definitely. Is this enough to help prevent load shedding? An emphatic no! At best the current load shedding will be reduced by two stages only. You may ask why I am being the bearer of bad, or should I say, realistic news? Well, I have a passion for education. I firmly believe that for a country to succeed, it needs to have a fully functioning education system from school through to tertiary level. Load shedding has had a devastating effect on SA’s economy but in my discussions with key role players, they believe that there is hope as long as the new generation coming through is allowed to make a difference. And this is where I have a nagging feeling at the back of my brain. Load shedding has not only had an almost catastrophic effect on our economy, but it has also had a similar effect on education, especially in the fields of science, technology and engineering. In these fields of study scholars and students Is enough being done to solve our energy crisis? need hands-on experience with equipment. This cannot take place if there is no power to run this equipment. I have witnessed first-hand the dwindling numbers of students entering tertiary education that are suitably equipped to deal with the rigours of studying towards an engineering or a technological qualification. And before it is pointed out, yes, I do understand the effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the education system which has seen an abrupt step down in the ability of students. However, this gradual decline mentioned above has been seen over many years, long before the pandemic was unleashed. The long-term attention for any developing country should be on the education system if the goal is one of upliftment, but this is sadly not happening. August in South Africa is Woman’s month when we celebrate the strength and achievements that women have had in all spheres of life in this country. Maybe it’s time we place a woman in charge of the energy portfolio and maybe, just maybe, changes will be implemented to solve our crisis at something more than a snail’s pace.
Dataweek, 31 August 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 3 NEWS ELECTRONICS NEWS DIGEST Financials • Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company announced a huge 76,4% in second quarter profit, which is its biggest jump in earnings in the last eight financial quarters. This was largely due to the major demand for its chips after a two-year-long global shortage. TSMC’s net profit for April to June rose to a record $7,9 billion, despite record global inflation and analysts warning of a looming recession. Demand for Apple’s iPhone 13 as well as strong sales of high-performance computing chips used in 5G networks and artificial intelligence applications were major contributors. • Mycronic has announced a second quarter increase in net sales of 20% with EBIT amounting to $241 million over the period. High Flex, High Volume and Global Technologies accounted for most of the increase in sales, whereas Pattern Generators’ net sales declined. For the period from January to June the order intake now stands at 30% with the total net sales equalling only 2%. • ST has reported its second quarter financial results with net revenues of $3,84 billion, gross margin of 47,4% and a net income of $867 million. Jean-Marc Chery, STMicroelectronics president & CEO, commented, “Q2 net revenues and gross margin came in above the mid-point of our business outlook range driven by continued strong demand for our product portfolio. ST’s third quarter outlook, at the mid-point, is for net revenues of $4,24 billion, increasing year-over-year by 32,6% and sequentially by 10,5%.” • Silicon Labs has announced second quarter 2022 results which show that revenue has increased to $263 million, an increase of 55% YOY. “We just marked the one-year anniversary of becoming a pure-play IoT company, and we are more confident than ever in our ability to lead and scale in the large and growing IoT wireless market,” said Matt Johnson, president and CEO of Silicon Labs. • Cosmo Ferrites Limited, manufacturer of a range of soft ferrite cores, announced a 79% increase in net revenue for the quarter ending in June 2022. This net revenue YoY increase was on the back of increased sales of technologically advanced ferrite cores, mainly for the growing electric vehicle market. • The publishedWSTS semiconductor market forecast has stated that the worldwide semiconductor market is expected to increase 16,3% in 2022, continuing to grow by 5,1% in 2023. The report stated that following a strong growth year of 26,2% in 2021, WSTS expects another year of double-digit growth for the worldwide semiconductor market in 2022 with a forecast of $646 billion. • Despite these positive results and WSTS’s forecast, key semiconductor market drivers, PCs and smartphones, both showed a decline in shipments in the first half of 2022, which does not bode well for earnings reports for the full 2022 period. According to IDC, shipments in 2Q 2022 were down 15% from the same period last year. Based on this data a doubledigit decline for 2022 has been forecast by some players. • IC Insights (www.icinsights.com) has reported a downward trend in IC sales. This unprecedented dramatic decline in the June IC market was driven by a steep drop in memory IC sales. Although a revenue downturn is not readily evident in the 2Q22 financial results from Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron, Micron is predicting a -17% drop in sales for its fiscal quarter ending in August. It is reasonable to presume that Samsung and Hybix will follow suit. Much of the current IC market weakness is due to economic concerns caused by rising inflation, ongoing supply chain woes, and from suppliers actively working to reduce the IC inventory levels. • IDTechEx has also reported that 2022 continues to present big challenges for electric vehicle manufacturers. Mention is made of various factors that are currently influencing the downward financial trend being experienced including: • Factory closures in China, driven by the ongoing pandemic. • Disrupted production (Shanghai, which sells more electric vehicles than Norway, recorded no car sales in April). • A shortage of wire harnesses emerged, driven by the war in Ukraine. • The fact that battery raw material prices increased. • The ongoing chip shortages. • OEMs have dramatically increased electric vehicle prices. Companies • Google has said that it plans on using chips based on technology from ARM, adding pressure to both Intel and AMD, who until recently had the lion’s share in supplying chips for data centres. Google has said that it will be turning to Ampere Computing, a company founded by former Intel executives, to use its Altera chips to provide computing power. Ampere is already providing chips to both Microsoft and Oracle for use in their respective data centres. • Intel has started informing customers that due to rising costs it plans to increase prices across its line of products, in some cases by more than 20%. The company first hinted to this in its first quarter earnings call. The move comes amid a world-wide supply chain crisis caused by the global pandemic. EVENTS WISH 2022 Conference 13 September Santa Clara Convention Centre, USA The Women in Semiconductor Hardware (WISH) is an annual technical conference showcasing industry luminaries, entrepreneurs, and university women in STEM. While the event offers a platform for women, it is open to all. Register at https://designthesolution.org/ event/2022-wli-wish-conference/ WorksWith Conference 13-15 September Silicon Labs will be hosting its third virtual ‘Works With’ conference which is the premier developer conference for building the skills to create impactful connected devices and brings together the technology brands, device manufacturers, alliances, designers, wireless standards and ecosystem providers that are leading the way towards a more unified wireless experience. Register at https://workswith.silabs.com/ page/2132309/ Nepcon Vietnam 2022 14-16 September I.C.E. Hanoi, Vietnam Nepcon exhibition will feature industry players in the SMT, testing technologies, intelligent manufacturing, and equipment and supporting industries for electronics manufacturing, and this year will focus on the concept of ‘Electronics 4.0 Insider’. Register at https://www.nepconvietnam.com/ European MicrowaveWeek 25-30 September Milano Convention Centre, Italy The 25th European microwave week is a six-day international event combining the European microwave conference, the European microwave integrated circuits conference, the European radar conference, workshops and short courses, and an international trade show. Register at www.eumweek.com Continued on page 4
Dataweek, 31 August 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 4 NEWS • Renesas has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Reality AI following shareholders’ approval. Reality AI offers a wide range of embedded AI and Tiny Machine Learning (TinyML) solutions for advanced non-visual sensing in automotive, industrial and commercial products. Combined with Renesas’ current MCU and MPU product portfolios, the acquisition will allow Renesas to expand its software offerings for AI applications and increase its ability to provide AI solutions that combine both hardware and software. • Teledyne has announced acquisition of a majority interest in technology company Noiseless Acoustics (NL Acoustics). Together, they will provide a range of condition monitoring and safety solutions including acoustic imaging systems, optical gas leak detection and hazardous gas and flame detection systems. • KimWoo-Pyeong, semiconductor expert at Apple, has left after being hired by Samsung as director of Samsung’s recently established Packaging Solution Centre. Samsung started mass producing chips based on 3 nm architecture in June this year. However, as the difficulty of developing ultra-micro fabrication processes increases, chipmakers are looking towards enhancing packaging technology in a bid to circumvent physical limitations. Woo-Pyeong is set to take on this role at Samsung. • Indium Corporation has earned an excellence award from Allegro MicroSystems for the work of its Asia-Pacific operations in delivering quality, on-time products during the 2021 fiscal year. Vice president of sales, marketing, and technical service Tim Twining said, “At Indium Corporation, we are proud to support our customers around the globe with innovative products and services that help enable world-changing technology.” Technologies • A new report from the IoT market research firm Berg Insight says that the global number of cellular IoT subscribers increased by 22% during 2021 to reach 2,1 billion. The major regional markets China, Western Europe and North America grew similarly during the year as the world recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2026, Berg Insight now projects that there will be 4,3 billion IoT devices connected to cellular networks worldwide. • IDTechEx has forecast that the automotive Lidar market will grow to $8,4 billion by 2033. With the ever-increasing interest in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles, adopting light detection and ranging (Lidar) is an important inclusion to reach vehicle autonomy. Lidar, which appeared shortly after the invention of laser, has been steadily improving the field of 3D mapping and providing vehicles with depth scanning ability. Driven primarily by the impending global increase in EVs, HEVs and vehicle autonomy, the forecast is that the next ten years will see huge growth in the Lidar market. • SEACOM and British Telecommunications have teamed up to deliver enterprise communication services in Africa. The strategic alliance will help SEACOM further its own infrastructure and deliver new networking, security and communications solutions to enterprise customers in Africa. SEACOM’s customers will benefit from access to BT’s cloud security incident event management platform which provides real-time visibility and monitoring across the organisation’s entire IT environment. • The 144 Tbps undersea Equiano Internet cable has finally reached South Africa after making land at Melkbosstrand in the Western Cape at a Telkom facility. The cable started its undersea journey in Portugal and extends down the west coast of Africa. With a design capacity of 144 Tbps, this cable has the highest capacity of any Internet cable on the African continent and should help to bring down prices and increase bandwidth for South Africans when it eventually comes online in the next few months. Continued from page 3 ELECTRONICS NEWS DIGEST
Dataweek, 31 August 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 5 NEWS To have effective ESD control, continuous testing and measuring is important. Grounding products and testing equipment must be used to verify the correct functioning of static control systems within a working environment. One of the primary causes of static charge generation is people: we are constantly moving around and interacting with objects around us, building up a static charge. Grounding systems are used to ensure that components, personnel, and any other conductors are kept at the same relative electrical potential to prevent ESD events. Some key elements that form part of an effective grounding system are: Workstation grounding • ESD common grounding point: an electrical junction where all ESD grounds are connected to via grounding cords. • Work surface bench mats: grounded dissipative bench mats with a resistivity of 1x109 or less. • Static dissipative floor or floor mat: to avoid static build-up when walking, consider ESD floor mats, vinyl, epoxy or paint in the ESD protected area. • Grounding testers: used to test your workstation before, during and consistently after the installation of your ESD grounding system. Personnel grounding devices • Wrist straps: a conductive elastic band or metallic expendable strap comprising of a conductive inner surface. • Heel/foot grounders or ESD shoes: frequently used where the technician needs more freedom of movement. Conductive shoes or foot grounders need to be worn on both feet. • Clothing and gloves: static dissipative clothing and gloves prevent dangerous static fields from interacting with components and causing damage. • Chairs: when personnel sit or stand up, static charge is generated. To prevent this, ESD chairs with a resistance to ground of less than 1x1010 Ω are recommended. with Greg Barron, Actum Group director Clearing the Static Actum Group is a specialised importer and distributor of industrial and electronic products in South and Southern Africa. For more information contact ActumGroup on +27 11 608 3001 or email [email protected] Staying grounded American companies continue to account for more than half of the global chip industry’s total spending on research and development, according to the latest annual analysis of R&D expenditures by IC Insights. Almost 56% of global semiconductor industry R&D spending in 2021 was by companies headquartered in the U.S. with the largest single spender being Intel at 19% or $15,2 billion. Figure 1 shows semiconductor R&D expenditures by Asian-Pacific companies which includes wafer foundries, fabless chip suppliers, and integrated device manufacturers (idms), came a distant second place by exceeding just 29% of the worldwide total in 2021, followed by those based in Europe at about 8%, and Japan at nearly 7% of industry spending. The graphic shows that while R7D spending in the Americas has not increased much between 2011 and 2021, the biggest jump was by the Asia-Pacific region which saw an increase of 11,5%. This increase largely came on the back of the major decrease in spending by both the Europe- and Japanbased companies. According to IC Insights’ 2Q22 update of the McClean Report, semiconductor companies worldwide spent 13,1% of combined sales on R&D in 2021 ($80,5 billion) versus 15,5% ($50,8 billion) in 2011. In terms of R&D expenditures as a percent of semiconductor R&D spending dominated by U.S. chip manufacturers EBV Elektronik has been recognised by STMicroelectronics as the 2021 best performing distributor in EMEA. Since 2017, EBV has been consistently awarded ST’s leading demand creation distributor in EMEA and in 2021 also took over the top spot for POS, resulting in the accolade for best performing distributor in EMEA. “This is a very nice success story for both companies,” said Frank Wolinski, VP channel sales EMEA at ST. “I am absolutely convinced that the trusted cooperation between our companies is the biggest differentiator and the main reason for this success. Thanks to the entire EBV team for their continuous efforts and especially for their never-ending willingness to win and grow with ST.” “We are immensely proud to not only have held the leading position as ST’s demand creation distributor for four years running but also to take this position in POS as well,” said Thomas Staudinger, president at EBV Elektronik. “It is a clear demonstration of our reputation, technical ability, and collaborative approach that has led to us being awarded the 2021 best performing distributor in EMEA. FrankWolinski (VP channel sales EMEA ST), Birgit Ziegler (supplier development manager EBV Elektronik) and Thomas Staudinger (president EBV Elektronik). EBV Elektronik wins top award Semiconductor R&D spending by HQ location 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 54.5% 18.0% 11.6% 15.9% 2011 R&D $50.8B 2021 R&D $80.5B 55.8% 29.5% 8.1% 6.6% Americas Asia-Pac Europe Japan Share of spending sales, companies headquartered in the Americas region had the largest ratio at 16,9% in 2021. Next were European companies who spent about 14,4% of their combined chip revenues on R&D, the Japanese region spent 11,5% of sales, and the Asia-Pacific region brought up the rear with a total spend ratio of only 9,8% of sales for 2021. Semiconductor companies based in Taiwan which includes wafer foundries, like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, accounted for 14,4% of the industry’s total R&D expenditures in 2021 (about $11,7 billion). IC Insights’ also reports that South Korean suppliers which include Samsung represented 11,9% ($9,9 billion) of global semiconductor R&D spending. We are confident to continue this successful relationship in the upcoming years.” For more information contact EBV Electrolink, +27 21 402 1940, [email protected], www.ebv.com
Dataweek, 31 August 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 6 NEWS Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) focuses on the responsibility of the producer for the impact of their product in the final stage of its life cycle. These regulations will supposedly give producers greater motivation to design products that minimise environmental and health impacts. One of the measures adopted within international contexts has been to increase the responsibility of the producer to incorporate end-of-life treatment of their product. Over the last 50 years, the production and supply of goods globally has ballooned as the market has expanded. Consumers have more choice than ever before with the range of different products constantly growing and individual items being produced on an ever-increasing scale. The increase in consumerism and convenience lifestyle has led to many challenges for our environment. Irresponsible disposal, lack of widespread awareness and the production of badly designed packaging has led to the rise in waste and litter in the environment and the rapid loss of landfill space all over South Africa. In order to help manage this problem, governments world wide have introduced Extended Producer Extended Producer Responsibility in South Africa Responsibility (EPR). Mandatory EPR came into effect in South Africa on 5 May 2021 under Section 18 of the National Environmental Management Waste Act (NEMWA). In a nutshell, EPR means that producers of packaged goods are responsible not only for health and safety issues associated with their products, but now also for the management of their post-consumer packaging waste, including collection, sorting and recycling. Strict government targets have been set for annual collection and recycling over the next five years and the EPR will result in an increase in investment in collection and recycling infrastructure in the country. The initial deadline of 15 January 2021 was postponed to 5 May 2021 when the new regulations were published and came into effect. The regulations are therefore effective from this date and existing producers must have registered with the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries no later than 5 November 2021 to prevent penalties. 2022 will be the first year of the EPR scheme implementation and reporting, and any company or brand that makes or imports any form of plastic packaging for distribution in Indium Corporation earned Electronics Manufacturing (EM) World’s innovation award for Indium12.8HF, a versatile solder paste engineered to deliver exceptional jetting and microdispensing performance on a variety of systems. The EM innovation award programme recognises and celebrates excellence in the electronics industry, encouraging companies to achieve the highest standards and push the industry forward. “We are honoured to have Indium12.8HF recognised by EMWorld,” said Evan Griffith, product specialist. “As miniaturisation continues its spread throughout all corners of the industry, Indium receives award for microdispensing paste Avnet Abacus has excelled at the annual Molex European distributor awards by winning four award categories, including the prestigious 2021 Molex European distributor of the year. This award singles out a channel partner that has collaborated successfully in the region over a long period, providing value through wellexecuted demand creation programmes. This is underpinned by a clear knowledge of the Avnet Abacus wins four Molex award categories product portfolio along with strong technical competencies that enable a deep understanding of how best to service customers’ commercial and technology requirements. For the first time in Avnet history, Avnet Abacus won four of the supplier’s distributor of the year awards in which they were considered. The awards took place at the Molex European distribution conference held in the UK on 21 June, where the best-performing Molex distributors gathered to celebrate the year’s success. “We would like to congratulate Avnet Abacus for their continued efforts and are pleased to recognise their successes through our 2021 awards ,” said Paul Keenan, sales director, distribution Europe, at Molex. “Avnet Abacus has demonstrated strong support and a collaborative approach across all regions with a focus on demand creation, and we would like to thank their respective teams for their excellent contributions towards our shared success .” Avnet Abacus offersMolex’s broadproduct range, enabling technology innovation in the automotive, data centre, industrial automation, healthcare, 5G, cloud, and consumer device industries. For more information contact Avnet Abacus, [email protected], www.avnet.com/wps/portal/abacus South Africa will be required to pay this extended producer responsibility fee per ton. EPR will have a profound effect on all manufacturers that supply goods to consumers, as careful planning regarding packaging is necessary to make sure that the packaging falls within specified regulations. The producer must ensure that the products and packaging thereof that they place on the market do not negatively affect the environment after consumers have finished with it and must ensure that appropriate post-use treatment occurs. Doing this may mean taking physical or financial accountability for the products. These policy objectives include changes for both upstream (e.g., design for recycling) and downstream (e.g., plans for increased collection and rates of recycling). The introduction of EPR regulations in South Africa is a huge step towards a circular economy with producers now responsible for their waste instead of placing the cost of collection and disposal squarely on the public consumers. However, many smaller companies are still grappling with the registration process, and it remains to be seen whether the implementation of EPR in South Africa will be a successful undertaking. more applications must adapt to finer pitches and smaller packages with paste deposits which may be unachievable by stencil printing. It’s critical to Indium Corporation that we produce innovative, proven products that provide solutions to the current and emerging challenges.” Indium12.8HF is a no-clean, halogen-free solder paste that is inherently compatible with Indium Corporation’s best-selling solder paste, Indium8.9HF, and is optimised for long-term jetting and microdispensing applications. Indium12.8HF has proven to be useful in a wide range of applications, including MEMS and miniLED assembly, which require precision dot diameter/line width deposits down to 80 μm, as well as offering consistent, reliable dispensability without skips throughout a day. For more information contact Techmet, +27 11 824 1427, [email protected], www.techmet.co.za
Dataweek, 31 August 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 7 NEWS ERSONALITY PROFILE P Renita Fleischer Listen and start at the bottom. Obtain the experience, work yourself up and earn the respect of your colleagues as without them, you will not succeed. “ ” Founded in 2017 by Renita Fleischer, ExecuKit has come a long way from its humble beginnings. The company started out with one goal in mind which was to provide the finest procurement to the electronic industry, and Renita has pursued this goal with passion and dedication. Read on to gain an insight into what makes Renita tick. Where it all started Renita’s first job in the engineering field originally started out when she joined Factum Electronics in 1984, a post organised through her pastor’s wife. At the time electronics was foreign to her but the excitement of that first job has never left her. Little did she know at the time that it was to have such an impact on her that she would dedicate the rest of her working career to the electronics industry. At Factum she received excellent training in transformer winding, cable assemblies, mechanical assemblies, transformer assemblies and soldering. Five years spent on the production line soldering components and building assemblies allowed a huge amount of knowledge to be gained. Another responsibility at the company was overseeing the library where all data books were kept, and this was to prove to be very beneficial. In the early 1990s, training as a buyer was offered to Renita. Much time was spent in those early days, before computers became common in the workplace, poring over data books received from suppliers together with sample kits. “I still have some samples where I soldered components and crafted my own cable,” she reminisces, and adds with pride, “To this day I still have a copy of my 1990 ‘Pulse Buyers Guide’.” As well as getting to know the products well enough to be able to offer clients equivalents, building personal relationships with suppliers was something at which Renita excelled. She remarks that the reason for her success is knowing in which data book to find the required information, something which is vital when procuring electronic components. Nowadays, the online Electronic Buyers Guide is the go-to tool to find relationships between suppliers and agencies in the electronic engineering fields. Renita was still a part of Factum Electronics when it became Omnigo and moved to new premises. After 23 years with the company, she had worked her way up to materials control manager and was responsible for the buying and stock management for production. By the time Renita was ready to move on from Omnigo, she had experience in prototyping, production sales, invoicing and all procurement procedures. In 2007 Renita moved to Microtronix where the next ten years were spent honing her skills. However, because of the previous time spent in a company doing military work together with strict protocols that accompany that type of work, the longing to be back in that environment forced her to start thinking about how she could add value to the industry, and this meant starting a company from scratch. The big leap of faith During her time spent at Omnigo and Microtronix, Renita identified a lack of service in the electronic industry. Trying to obtain specific information on a particular product was frustrating and usually involved being passed from person to person to get the correct data. This was a major motivating factor when the idea for ExecuKit was born. Renita explains, “When I started ExecuKit, my vision was to offer a different approach to materials procurement, materials control, and kitting; to provide customers with a seamless chain of kit supply, saving them time and money. The focus is on honesty, trust and building relationships, and to that end we have an open book pricing policy which we will not change,” she says. After a difficult start in 2017 as a new company trying to make a name for itself by competing in a very large industry, Renita is proud to mention that those initial goals were met and that ExecuKit is now growing from strength to strength, thanks to the support from local customers who realise the benefit of the service that is on offer. In 2019 she took on a partner and the company now has a staff complement of 19 permanent members. During the 38 years working in the electronic industry Renita has realised that to move forward, everyone needs to work together. With that in mind, a company called ExecuWeb was born. In recent times the availability of electronic components has become ever scarcer, especially to the South African market. Local companies just don’t have the buying power of the large international OEMs. This has led to many existing designs having to be re-engineered around components that are still readily available in the open market. ExecuWeb has long-standing relationships with the largest international distribution network, allowing us to maintain a steady supply chain between designers, manufacturers and OEMs. We encourage young electronic engineers to design their products around our catalogue of passive and active components, in order to be able to secure components for the long-term lifecycle of the design. “At ExecuWeb, we have also secured ‘redundant’ stock from across the globe to assist manufacturers to continue producing established designs that use hard to find components.” ExecuWeb also enables manufacturers to list their slow-moving stock, and in turn, recoup a portion of their original capital spend. For parting advice Renita states, “Youngsters need to listen and start at the bottom. Obtain the experience, work yourself up and earn the respect of your colleagues as without them you will not succeed.”
Dataweek, 31 August 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 8 REGULAR SYSTEMS, COMPONENTS, DESIGN As the embedded market continues to grow rapidly and evolve, developers are seeking to optimise product development, or they may need to transition from a microcontroller unit (MCU) to a microprocessor unit (MPU) to handle increased processing requirements. To help developers with this transition and reduce design complexities Microchip Technology has announced the expansion of its portfolio of microprocessor system-on-modules (SOMs) with the SAM9X60D1G-SOM ARM926EJ-S-based embedded MPU running up to 600 MHz. The SOM, based on the SAM9X60D1G System in Package (SiP), is a small 28 x 28 mm hand-solderable module that includes the MPU and DDR in a single package, along with power supplies, clocks and memory storage. It is Microchip’s first SOM equipped with 4 Gb SLC NAND Flash to maximise memory storage of data in application devices, while the onboard DDR reduces the supply and price risks associated with memory chips. The small-formfactor SOM also includes an MCP16501 power management IC (PMIC), which simplifies the power design effort to a single 5 V rail. The SAM9X60D1G-SOM contains a 10/100 KSZ8081 Ethernet PHY and a 1 Kb Serial EEPROM with pre-programmed MAC address (EUI-48). Customers can further customise their design based on the level of security protection required such as secure boot with on-chip Microchip expands its MPU-based SOM portfolio The SG560D is a series of Quectel’s new generation multi-mode 5G smart modules with built-in Android 12 OS. Based on QCM6490 high-performance 64-bit octa-core processors with a built-in Adreno 643 GPU, it is ideal for both industrial and consumer applications requiring high data rates and multimedia functions. “In the era of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), computing capability becomes more critical to make devices smarter and more responsive. Our 5G SG560D module combines 5G and AI technologies to deliver state-of-theart performance in communication and data processing,” said Patrick Qian, CEO of Quectel. “I believe the SG560D will offer an excellent option for edge computing requirements and will accelerate the digital transformation of devices.” The module supports 3GPP Rel-15 technology and supports both 5G NSA and SA modes with 4G/3G fallback. In addition, the module supports Wi-Fi 6E & DBS, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Wi-Fi 2 × 2 MU-MIMO and Bluetooth 5.2. The SG560D series supports 5G and LTE multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) technology. The use of multiple antennas at the receiver end at the same time and on the same frequency band greatly minimises errors and optimises the data speed. This module also combines high-speed wireless connectivity with an embedded multiconstellation and high-sensitivity GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, BDS, NavIC, Galileo, QZSS, SBAS) receiver for positioning. A rich set of interfaces (such as LCM, camera, touch panel, PCIe, UART, USB, I2C, and I2S) allow the module to serve a wide range of M2M applications including as a smart gateway, CPE, MiFi, MID, PND, POS, router, multimedia terminal, digital signage and industrial PDAs. For more information contact iCorp Technologies, +27 11 781 2029, [email protected], www.icorptechnologies.co.za Quectel releases a 5G SG560D smart module series Panasonic has announced a new Bluetooth 5 low-energy (LE) module that includes a uFL connector enabling the use of an external antenna. This is particularly useful for applications where the RF signal is shielded and an external antenna is needed. The PAN1770 module is based on the nRF52840 single chip controller. Output power of up to 8 dBm in combination with the LE coded PHY make the module very attractive for applications where a long range is required. The nRF52840 controller used in the PAN1770 has industry-leading sensitivity of 95 dBm at 1 Mb/s and -103 dBm at 125 kb/s. The ultra-low current consumption of 4,8 mA in Tx and in Rx mode and only 0,4 μA in Bluetooth 5 LE module with uFL connector secure key storage (OTP), hardware encryption engine (TDES, AES and SHA) and True Random Generator (TRNG). “With the SAM9X60D1G-SOM, designers can take advantage of a mid-level performance microprocessor and significantly reduce design complexities,” said Rod Drake, vice president of Microchip’s 32-bit MPU business unit. “This latest SOM provides customers with a smallform-factor solution directly from Microchip and eases the logistics burden of separately procuring each of the six active components and numerous passives on the SOM.” Software for the SAM9X60D1G-SOM is available with bare metal or RTOS support through MPLAB Harmony3, or complete Linux mainlined distributions. For more information contact EBV Electrolink, +27 21 402 1940, [email protected], www.ebv.com system OFF mode make the PAN1770 module an ideal choice for any battery-powered device. Featuring a Cortex M4F processor with 256 kB RAM and built-in 1 MB flash memory, the device can be used in standalone mode, eliminating the need for an external processor. This reduces design complexity, lowers costs and saves board space. “We have seen that in many devices or applications, radio waves emitted by the chip antenna can be blocked or reflected by the metallic housing, making it difficult to receive the radio signal from the outside,” remarked Tomislav Tipura from Panasonic Industry Europe. “By using our new PAN1770 module, an external antenna can easily be attached via the uFL connector and thus redirect the radio waves outside the housing,” he continued. The processor supports Matter, Zigbee and Thread and has up to 48 programmable GPIOs. SPI, I2C, UART, PWM, ADC, Type 2 NFC and USB2.0 round off a rich hardware interface set. For more information contact Altron Arrow, +27 11 923 9600, [email protected], www.altronarrow.com
Dataweek, 31 August 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 9 REGULAR SYSTEMS, COMPONENTS, DESIGN Powered by Qualcomm Technologies’ premium-tier SoC (System-on-Chip) QCS8250, the module is designed to meet the requirements of high-end AIoT scenarios such as HD video conferences, HD livestreaming, cloud gaming, edge computing, robotics, drones and AR/VR. The combination of AI and IoT has opened up new possibilities for industries requiring automated real-time decision-making and data analysis. The demand for 5G AIoT solutions is expected to skyrocket, according to Counterpoint Research, with shipments of 5G AIoT modules reaching a CAGR of 84% between 2022 and 2030. Fibocom’s AI smart module is set to play a crucial part in the industry, with the potential to empower a massive range of compute-intensive use cases. Equipped with the Qualcomm QCS8250 IoT solution, Fibocom’s AI smart module SCA825-W integrates an octa-core Kryo 585 CPU, Adreno 650 GPU, dedicated NPU 230 (Neural Processing Unit), as well as Hexagon DSP for machine learning. The module can deliver a computing power of up to 15 TOPS enabling complex AI computing performance with exceptional features. Featuring a powerful Spectra 480 ISP (image signal processor), Adreno 995 DPU and Adreno 665 VPU, Fibocom SCA825-W supports up to seven AI smart module unleashes the potential of AIoT Antenova has announced a new SMD antenna for 5G and 4G frequencies. The antenna named Minima has part number SR4L075 and at 40 x 10 x 3,3 mm is the smallest 5G antenna Antenova has brought to market thus far. Its small volume and low weight of less than 3 grams make it Antenova launches a small-space antenna for 5G and LTE concurrent cameras, triple 4K display and video encoding at up to 4K resolution at 120 fps and 8K at 30 fps, offering superior image capturing, processing and displaying capabilities. The module supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6.0, Bluetooth 5.1 as well as 2x2 Wi-Fi MIMO multi-antenna technology, which allows various wireless connectivity options for industrial and commercial use cases. It also supports Android 10 operating system and a wide range of interfaces (MIPI-DSI, I2S, PCIe, UART, USB, I2C, SPI), enabling flexibility and ease of integration into AIoT applications. “With AIoT continuously transforming every industry, highperformance AI modules will become an important pillar,” said Eden Chen, general manager of MC product management department, Fibocom. “Our newly-launched AI smart module SCA825-W is an exceptional part of the Fibocom smart module family, which will take a big step forward in the AIoT field with technological advancements.” For more information contact Electrocomp, +27 11 458 9000, [email protected], www.electrocomp.co.za ideally suited to small, lightweight designs for 4G or 5G frequencies, as well as designs that use both frequencies. Minima is a multi-band cellular antenna covering the common 4G and 5G frequencies used globally, including the popular Band 71 covering 617 to 698 MHz. It can therefore be used in designs that will be marketed globally. Antenova’s product marketing manager Michael Castle states, “As the name suggests, Minima uses minimum space in a design. It is a very small antenna that operates with a small clearance beneath, making it a winner for 4G and 5G cellular designs where space is tight on the PCB. In tests, Minima achieved efficiencies up to 60%, which will help designers to achieve certification for their 5G designs.” For more information contact iCorp Technologies, +27 11 781 2029, [email protected], www.icorptechnologies.co.za
0343 ZetechOne Magazine Advert FA.pdf 1 8/10/22 10:09 PM Have you ever wished for a quick solution to prototyping electronic circuit boards? If you have, then the Voltera V-One, a multi-functional circuit board printer, may be just what you need. The V-One is an all-in-one solution for PCB fabrication that allows you to keep your development cycle secure, thereby keeping your intellectual property completely inhouse. The printer allows for rapid prototyping of circuit board layouts by combining the following four functions: printing traces of conductive ink onto substrate, drilling through-holes and vias on the board, precisely dispensing solder paste, and reflowing components using the built-in heating plate. From the initial idea through to the finished board, the V-One makes prototyping a cinch. The electronic board layout is designed in the software of one’s choice and the Gerber files are uploaded to the V-One software. Once the printer has been calibrated, holes and vias are drilled on both sides of the board together with the printed tracks, and the board is then thermally cured. Solder paste is then applied to the board and the components are inserted via the newly drilled holes. The printer then provides component reflow to produce the completed prototype. The electronic circuit can then be tested and should a problem be found, a new board with Voltera V-One circuit board printer the correction can be printed, thereby providing a rapid turnaround time and theoretically shaving weeks off a product development cycle. Teams at top companies worldwide are already using the V-One for rapid prototyping of electronic designs. The V-One software, combined with Voltera’s smart height probe, allows for precise alignment of the print and drill heads. The drill head, although compact, is capable of drilling through-holes and vias at 13 000 rpm with a runout of only 3 mil. Once drilling is completed, the dispense nozzle deposits ink or solder paste on boards with a 0,65 mm pin-to-pin pitch, allowing for precise circuit tracks to be laid down. Finally, the unit cures the ink and provides reflow and, together with the predefined heating profiles and the 550 W heating element, allows for the print bed to reach a temperature of 240°C. The printer’s software application is completely free of charge and provides an intuitive interface to all functions necessary to produce a finished prototype PCB. The application contains smart alerts when designing the layout, to prevent printing issues, and step-by-step video instructions walk the user through the different stages of the production process. The V-One’s small dimensions of only 390 x 257 x 207 mm and modern look allows it to seem at home in any environment: on an office desk, a laboratory table, or on a workshop bench. For more information contact Zetech One, +27 11 609 1244, [email protected], www.zetech.co.za REGULAR SYSTEMS, COMPONENTS, DESIGN
Dataweek, 31 August 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 11 TELECOMMUNICATIONS, WIRELESS, IoT, RF & MICROWAVE FEATURE From the IoT perspective, Wi-Fi developers have recognised that faster is not always the best choice for all Wi-Fi connected devices. In generations prior toWi-Fi 6, increased raw throughput was the primary objective. Now, the trade-offs between some key performance indexes (KPIs) allow system designers the flexibility to focus on the aspects important in their design. Figure 1 shows key features in theWi-Fi 6 specification. While the ‘power save’ column shows only one item, features in other columns can also be modified for power saving. Reducing power consumption/ increasing IoT device battery life Wi-Fi 6 includes technologies to optimise efficiency, increase throughput and/or reduce power consumption that include orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA), target wake time (TWT), and multi-user, multiple input, multiple output (MU MIMO). OFDMA divides the 20/40/80 (and even 160 inWi-Fi 6E) MHz channel into resource units (RUs) that are further divided into subcarriers. Since 80 MHz is achieved at the cost of increased power consumption, the 20 MHz mode in Wi-Fi 6 provides power savings. That saving is important for IoT devices that need to send only a small amount of data very power efficiently. For example, a door lock just needs to transmit that the correct keypad entry occurred. Ideal for this type of signal transmission, the 20 MHz mode is one of the items that differentiates Wi-Fi 6 from Wi-Fi 5 for IoT applications. With TWT, access points (APs) and station devices negotiate particular times when the station device will be awake and ready to receive traffic from the AP. This feature allows the station to remain in sleep mode much longer than with previous generations of Wi-Fi, thus reducing overall device power consumption. Previously, IoT devices had to wake up at set intervals dictated by the access point (300 ms in most installations) to see if there was any traffic for them. Consider a window sensor that rarely provides any new data unless there is breakage. With TWT, a sensor can communicate to the network that it only needs to wake up say every three minutes to provide its input. Otherwise, it can sleep, not transmit data and save power. The access point knows that it will not receive information but still recognises that the device is present and will communicate with it at the pre-determined time. This feature allows devices to sleep much longer and save a considerable amount of power so batteries as the power source will last much longer. The sleep time is usually determined by the system designer to achieve the specified battery life and user experience. Given the wake-up time, the amount of data to be sent, and the frequency it is sent at, the desired sleep time can be calculated quite accurately for a particular Advantages of Wi-Fi 6 for the IoT By: Roman Baker, vice president of technology at Infineon. battery type. This additional design flexibility provides designers with new options for next generation products and is among the benefits of using the latest Wi-Fi 6 specifications. Wi-Fi security Another IoT aspect that is becoming more and more important is security, especially as public breaches occur and IoT devices, like surveillance cameras, get hacked. Wi-Fi 6 incorporates and mandates all the latest security features that have been developed for Wi-Fi. For example, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) has advanced to WPA3 to provide the latest security in Wi-Fi 6 and address vulnerabilities in WPA2. Security is so important that specifications for some of the older technologies, such as Wi-Fi 5, are now making WPA3 mandatory for certification as well. Security on the Wi-Fi link itself is only the first line of defence for an IoT device. System on chip (SoC) products and standalone Wi-Fi devices offered by Infineon offer a rich set of features crucial to creating a truly secure IoT product. One such feature is validating the authenticity of the firmware (FW) that runs within the Wi-Fi chip itself. While most CPUs and MCUs today offer a root of trust (RoT) and the ability to authenticate the top-level system image, we at Infineon believe it is equally important to ensure that individual sub-systems in a device provide additional layers of defence. This philosophy is called Defence in Depth and results in a significantly more secure system. Validation of the Wi-Fi chipset firmware involves a hardware root of trust to verify the signature of any image sent to it. Validating the Wi-Fi firmware is important to ensure that the image itself is authentic, even if the host system is compromised. Once authenticity of the firmware is confirmed, the Wi-Fi device will configure itself to allow only enough access over the Secure Digital Input Output (SDIO) interface to perform the data transfer and not modify or tamper with memory or other resources on the chip. Specific hardware on the Wi-Fi device providing restricted access control closes another path for hackers to compromise the security of the chip and the system. Performance of Wi-Fi 6 andWi-Fi 6E MU-MIMO that was initially introduced in Wi-Fi 5 allows Wi-Fi 6 to direct data streams to multiple clients simultaneously, thereby improving network efficiency. With the beamforming technology used in MU-MIMO, the antenna directs the radio signal transmissions to a specific device. This allows increased data rates and reduced interference. Wi-Fi 6 provides backward compatibility to Wi-Fi 2, 3, 4, and 5. However, the 2,4 and 5 GHz frequency bands used in older versions have become quite crowded. The resulting congestion impacts an IoT device’s ability to transmit its data. The presence of pre- Wi-Fi 6 devices can also hamper achieving the most savings from the power saving capabilities of Wi-Fi 6. Consequently, all the potential benefits of Wi-Fi 6 may not be realised because of supporting the legacy devices that operated in the 5 GHz band. Wi-Fi 6E adds operation in the 6 GHz band. Since no previous generationWi-Fi devices will be operating in this band, the ability to access the mediumwill be much faster. As a result, communicating on the medium is much more efficient vs the 2,4 and 5 GHz bands, resulting in higher overall power efficiency for the IoT device. All of Infineon’s Wi-Fi 6 solutions for the IoT will support the 6 GHz band because this is the only way that users can fully realise the benefits of Wi-Fi 6. While all three bands are supported in these devices, in the 6 GHz mode, communication only occurs with Wi-Fi 6 for optimum performance. This greenfield 6 GHz band allows Wi-Fi 6E to realise its full potential in network efficiency and power consumption, taking the first step in a journey towards an exciting destination – the future. For more information contact EBV Electrolink, +27 21 402 1940, [email protected], www.ebv.com Figure 1. Key features of Wi-Fi 6 include power saving aspects.
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