23 November 2022 FEATURING: • Telecommunications,Wireless, IoT, RF &Microwave • Interconnect, Passive & Electromechanical • Embedded Computing, AI &Machine Learning • Products of theYear 2022
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Dataweek, 23 November 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 1 TELECOMMUNICATIONS, WIRELESS, IoT, RF & MICROWAVE FEATURE 23 November 2022 Vol. 45 No. 10 News................................................................................. 3 Systems, components, design.......................... 8 General ............................................................................ 29 Hot chips......................................................................31 Open [re]sources ....................................................... 32 QuickFind index .................................................... IBC contents on the cover features regulars Products/Technologies of the year 2022..................12 Interconnect, passive & electromechanical............15 Ultra-rugged technology, modularity for industrial PCs, and practical guidelines to achieve quality connections. Telecommunications, wireless, IoT, RF µwave...........................................................................21 The significance of the matter standard, 450 MHz set to transform utility services, prototyping RF designs, and cloud-based positioning combined with LoRaWAN. Embedded computing, AI & machine learning.................................................................27 A new standard for edge AI, and machine learning with Microchip. 23 November 2022 FEATURING: • Telecommunications,Wireless, IoT, RF &Microwave • Interconnect, Passive & Electromechanical • Embedded Computing, AI &Machine Learning • Products of theYear 2022 The EFR32x family of wireless SoCs from Silicon Labs are ideal for IoT wireless connectivity. With low power consumption, an AI/ML hardware accelerator and Secure Vault, device makers can create smart, robust and energy-efficient products that can target implementation of the newMatter standard, a unified approach to IoT device development. Learn more about it on page 21. For more information contact Conrad Coetzee, Altron Arrow, +27 11 923 9600, [email protected], www.altronarrow.co.za
Dataweek, 23 November 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 10 23 NOVEMBER 2022 From the editor’s desk Peter As the year starts to draw to a close, and people are still frantically rushing around trying to accomplish what they had in mind at the start of it, I can look back at 2022 with a mixture of emotions. Financially, many sectors announced a downturn in fortunes, the majority driven by the factory shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. This caused major stock shortages in semiconductor components in several engineering industries which are still struggling to get back to pre-COVID levels. Throughout the regions of Europe and Central Asia, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has impeded the post-pandemic economic recovery. Energy price shocks continue to impact not only this region, but many industries worldwide. This global energy crisis has had a knock-on effect in the worldwide supply of goods, and engineering suppliers have not been impervious to its reach. It was recently reported that according to the World Bank estimates, recovery and reconstruction for this region will total at least $349 billion – this is more than 1,5 times the size of Ukraine’s pre-war economy in 2021. This makes one wonder whether this war is actually worth it. Fighting to be ruler over an area rich in energy, but ending up with a pile of ashes. Ernest Hemingway summed it up beautifully when he wrote “Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.” But I digress! Some companies fared the storm a lot better, with healthy reported profits for the second and third quarters. Large semiconductor manufacturers like STMicroelectronics and NXP announced healthy year-on-year profits. Let’s hope that the looming energy crisis does not continue to hinder the ability to distribute their products. This year there were a few recurring topics that continually appeared in my inbox. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) were big news items, with many microcontroller and microprocessor manufacturers designing and producing chips for use in the AI/ML fields. AI and ML, once the mainstay of large powerful computers, are now being implemented easily into portable semiconductor devices for edge applications. The age of standalone intelligence is almost upon us – quite frankly both an exciting and scary prospect. Another topic which was prevalent was Matter. As I’m sure most of the readers know by now, the Matter protocol has been designed to connect compatible devices and systems to one another seamlessly. I can vouch first-hand for the usefulness that a protocol like this promises to be. Just over a year ago I decided to automate my home, but instead of using a system by one manufacturer, I decided to use different components, depending on each one’s functionality. Getting A tumultuous year draws to a close them all to communicate with each other couldn’t be that difficult, could it? Hahaha. Who was I kidding? At the end of the day, I reflashed the embedded microcontroller in each device with a free-touse protocol/application called Tasmota and then set them up to use MQTT, a standard messaging protocol for the IoT. I could then run my own MQTT server to handle all the communication requests. Last stage was designing a smartphone interface to be able to send and receive these MQTT messages so that I was able to monitor and control all the devices. Now that I look back on it, having a standard IoT messaging protocol like Matter (and Thread) could have made all the difference. Another mind-blowing topic was the miniaturisation of almost everything electronic. ‘SWaP-optimised’ was a buzzword that kept cropping up. Almost across the board, devices and components are becoming smaller and more powerful, but use less power. This is pushing the boundaries of many technologies as the world enters a new era driven by the necessity of using extremely powerful and, at the same time, portable devices. The future is certainly exciting and I for one cannot wait to see what the new year brings in terms of technological advances in engineering and science. Here’s hoping that all readers have a wonderful, safe and relaxing festive season, to be able to recharge their biological batteries so that the new year can be tackled with vigour and enthusiasm.
Dataweek, 23 November 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 3 NEWS ELECTRONICS NEWS DIGEST EVENTS Continued on page 4 Electronics News Digest Financials • The semiconductor has moved rapidly from a shortage of chips to a glut of chips, as the economy has hit the brakes on worldwide demand. TSMC, the largest player in the semiconductor world, announced a drastic cut in spending of 10% for 2023, despite reporting a good financial quarter. This cut translates to an amount of US$8 billion being removed from suppliers’ coffers. • Third quarter 2022 data on PC and smartphone shipments has been released and shows a continuing year-on-year decline. IDC estimates PC units in Q3 2022 were down 15% over the previous year, matching the decline in Q2 2022. IDC’s forecast for PC units for September was a 12,8% decline for the year 2022, which is in line with the latest quarterly data. Canalys estimates Q3 2022 smartphone shipments declined 9% year-over-year, matching IDC’s estimate of an 8,7% decline in Q2 2022. IDC’s August projection was a 6,5% drop in smartphone units in year 2022, but the final number will likely be closer to a 9% decline based on the latest data. IDC expects the PC decline to moderate to a 2,6% decline in 2023, but expects smartphones to recover to 5,2% growth. • Silicon Labs has announced a healthy growth in revenue for Q3 2022. The robust financial results for the period ending 1 October 2022, saw profits up 3% sequentially and 46% year-on-year. The company saw revenue growth across both its Industrial & Commercial and Home & Life businesses. The 3% increase translated to a total revenue of $270 million, with Industrial & Commercial taking the lion’s share of that at $146 million, up 56%YoY. • Following on from this, Silicon Labs’ board of directors has authorised an additional $50 million to the existing share repurchase program. The company’s common stock repurchase programme now has a remaining authorised amount of $300 million and remains in effect until December 2023. • Mycronic announced positive Q3 results, starting with an increase in orders of 30%. This was, however, on the back of a relatively weak preceding quarter. Net sales for Q3 increased 23%, but was largely caused by fluctuations in the exchange rate. Based on constant exchange rates, the reported net sales increased by 10%. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) increased to SEK203 million with all units reporting a double-digit EBIT margin. • In a report published by Berg Insight, it was announced that more than 4,5 million cellular IoT gateways were shipped globally in 2021. This was a total market value of $1,15 billion. In welcome news, annual sales grew at a rate of 14% as demand recovered following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the industry experienced a constrained supply of key components, resulting in extended delivery times. • Berg Insight also reported that sales growth in cellular IoT gateways has continued into 2022, but will likely slow down in 2023 as economic conditions tighten across the main regions. Until 2026, annual revenues from the sales of cellular IoT gateways are forecasted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14%, to reach $2,18 billion at the end of the forecast period. Companies • Volvo has announced that its truck plant in Ghent, Belgium will start to produce battery modules in 2025. The investment decision to install battery module manufacturing capacity is an important step for the group to shape its future EV aspirations. The manufacturing line will be able to use battery cells both from partners and from the planned battery cell plant in Sweden. • DuPont has announced that it has joined the Semiconductor Climate Consortium (SCC) as a founding member. The SCC is an outgrowth of the SEMI Sustainability Initiative and is the first global, ecosystem-wide effort to advance the semiconductor industry’s response to the challenge of climate change. Its vision is to accelerate progressive climate action in support of the Paris Agreement, with the goal of limiting global warming potential to 1,5°C. • RS Group has announced the formation of RS Safety Solutions as a new brand within the group. RS Safety Solutions brings together the existing RS personal protection equipment (PPE) capabilities with the operations of both Needlers and Liscombe, which are based in the UK. RS Group acquired Needlers Limited in 2020 and John Liscombe Limited in 2021. The combination of the two businesses within RS Safety Solutions will enable the leveraging of their respective strengths to serve customers in industrial and food processing markets and address their requirements for PPE and safety and hygiene equipment. • In a joint press release, Siemens and Eplan have announced a strategic partnership. Eplan is a provider of software and service solutions in the fields of electrical, automation and mechatronic engineering. The partnership will seek to strengthen collaboration in the area of software solutions for the industry and to provide optimised solutions for switchgear manufacturers and electrical planners. Siemens will join the Eplan Partner Network as a strategic partner. Semicon Japan 14-16 December Tokyo, Japan SEMICON Japan electronics manufacturing exhibition covers manufacturing technology, equipment and materials in the semiconductor industry, and SMART applications such as automobiles and IoT devices. This year, the Advanced Packaging and Chiplet Summit (APCS) will be held at the same time, where top players in the semiconductor packaging and substrate mounting fields will gather. Register for Semicon Japan at https://www.semiconjapan.org/jp CES 2023 5-8 January 2023 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA CES 2023 will be the global stage for innovation. One of the most influential tech events in the world, with an audience exposure of 324 million, this year’s event will focus on the themes of ‘sustainability’ and ‘tech driving food security’. Some of the exhibitors include Abbott, Amazon, Google, Indy (autonomous challenge), John Deere, LG, Microsoft and Sony. Register for CES 2023 at https://www.ces.tech APEX EXPO 2023 21-26 January 2023 San Diego, California, USA Discover the newest innovations and hear from the best minds in the electronics manufacturing industry at the industry’s largest event in North America. Learn best practices from industry leaders, manufacturing innovators and subject matter experts. New products and services will be showcased by the industry’s leading equipment manufacturers and suppliers. Register for IPC APEX EXPO at https://www.ipcapexexpo.org/ IEEE Radio andWirelessWeek 22-25 January 2023 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA RWW consists of five related conferences focusing on the intersection between wireless communication theory, systems, circuits, and devices technologies. This creates a unique forum for engineers to discuss various technologies for the state-of-art wireless systems and their enduse applications. Register for Radio andWireless Week at https://www.radiowirelessweek.org NEPCON Japan 25-27 January 2023 Tokyo, Japan NEPCON is the world’s leading SMT exhibition supporting equipment, solutions and services for electronics manufacturing. Equipment on show will cover mounters, dispensers, soldering machines, sealing machines, washing machines, laser processors, and ESD protection. Register for NEPCON Japan at https://www.nepconjapan.jp/hub/en-gb.html
ELECTRONICS NEWS DIGEST Continued from page 3 • Vicor has expanded its manufacturing capacity by 2,5-fold with the opening of its new 8400 m2, state-of-the-art converter housed in a package (CHiP) fabrication facility in Andover, USA. The new fab is a first, leveraging a highly scalable approach similar to what semiconductor wafer fabs do. This fab will allow Vicor to set the standard for high-quality, low-cost power module manufacturing. • Senior vice president of Mycronic and member of its group management, Michael Chalsen, has announced his retirement. He will stay on in the same role until at least 31 December 2022, while a recruitment process to find his successor takes place. • Systems used in many high-reliability commercial aviation, space, defence, automotive and industrial applications require certification to the IEC 61508 Safety Integrity Level (SIL) 3 functional safety specification. Microchip has now added IEC 61508 SIL 3 certification packages for two more of its System-on-Chip FPGA families. These certifications have been added to the low-power-consumption SmartFusion 2 SoC FPGAs and IGLOO 2 FPGAs, SoCs widely used for applications in smart grid, automation controllers, process analysers and other safety-critical applications. • Africa’s largest vendor-neutral data centre and interconnection platform provider, Teraco has announced the completion of the first phase of JB4, its new hyperscale data centre addition to the Bredell Campus, Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg. The new facility supports the growing demand by enterprises and cloud providers for data centre capacity. JB4 offers highly resilient and secure colocation facilities in line with Teraco’s long-term vision of enabling digital transformation across Africa. • Eskom has reported that unit 1 flue gas duct at Kusile power station has failed and could remain off for months. This is the section of duct exiting the sulphur dioxide absorber. The bad news is that this duct feeds into the same reinforced concrete chimney that houses flue gas ducts from units 2 and 3, which means that these units may need to be off to assess the damage and carry out repairs. While the timing is uncertain, it is anticipated that repairs may take a few months. Technologies • The EU has officially approved the common charger directive that has been on the table for the past few months. This law will make it compulsory for all electronic devices sold in EU countries to have an integrated USB-C port for charging and communications by late 2024. The rules stipulated by the legislation will only apply 24 months after coming into force, providing companies with a period in which to transition away from proprietary ports. • The time frame for this newly signed law covers all electronic devices with one major exception. Laptops sold in the EU will only be required to sport a USB-C port by early 2026. While many companies have already made the switch to USB-C, one notable exception with its mobile devices is Apple which is likely to be the company most significantly impacted by this change. The iPhone has stubbornly stuck with the proprietary lightning port but will now be forced to change if it does not want to lose out on this huge market. • Indium Corporation has earned a Global Technology Award for flux-cored wire. The fast-wetting, no-clean cored wire with spatter control was presented at SMTA International, hosted in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. • In a new report by Bishop and Associates, the military ground vehicle market has seen a drastic change over the last few years, as new technology is increasingly incorporated into these vehicles. Hi-Rel connectors are required for this application. The report forecasts that the market for military ground vehicle connectors will have a CAGR of 4,2% over the next five years.
Dataweek, 23 November 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 5 NEWS STMicroelectronics has reported a third quarter net revenue of $4,32 billion, a gross margin of 47,6% and an operating margin of 29,4%. This resulted in a net income of $1,1 billion or $1,16 diluted earnings per share (EPS). Net revenues were up 12,6% from $3,83 billion in the second quarter and 35,2%YoY. This provided a net income increase of 131,8% over the same period last year. This across-the-board increase in revenue was largely driven by the automotive and discrete group (ADG) with a 55,5%YoY increase, and the microcontrollers and digital ICs group (MDG) which saw an increase of 47,7%YoY. However, the biggest winner for the last quarter was the analog, MEMS and sensors group (AMS) with a net revenue increase of 23,7%. Inventory at the end of the third quarter was $2,38 billion, compared to $1,97 billion in Q3 2021. During the third quarter the company paid cash dividends to its stockholders totalling ST’s 3Q financial report $55 million and executed an $86 million share buy-back as part of its current repurchase programme. Business outlook for the fourth quarter of 2022 remains positive. Net revenues are expected to be $4,4 billion, an increase of 1,8% sequentially, with gross margin of 47,3% expected. This outlook, however, is based on the assumption that the effective currency exchange rate of approximately $1,03 = €1,00 for the fourth quarter remains. Jean-Marc Chery, STMicroelectronics president & CEO, commented, “The midpoint of this outlook translates into full year 2022 net revenues of about $16,10 billion, representing a 26,2% year-over-year growth and gross margin of about 47,3%, in line with the plan we outlined in July.” For more information visit https://www.st.com/content/st_com/en.html The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has announced global semiconductor sales for the month of September 2022 were down 0,5% compared to August 2022, and 3,0% less than September 2021. Worldwide sales of semiconductors totalled $141 billion during the third quarter of 2022, a decrease of 3,0% compared to the third quarter of 2021, and 6,3% less than the second quarter of 2022. Monthly sales are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organisation and represent a three-month moving average. “Following strong growth through the first half of 2022, global semiconductor sales have slowed in recent months, decreasing in September on a year-to-year basis for the Semiconductor sales decrease globally Eskom has finally shut down unit 9, the last remaining coal-fired generation unit at the 60-year-old Komati power station. The power station first started generating electricity in 1961, with unit 9 commissioned in 1966. Over the years each unit has been decommissioned as they reached their operating life’s end. The site of the power station in Mpumalanga will now be converted into a wind and solar energy production site and offer facilities to train up the next generation of Eskom employees. After the repurposing, it will be able to produce 150 MW of solar energy and 70 MW of wind energy. It will also have an onsite storage battery capacity of 150 MW. This will replace the meagre 121 MW of capacity that the coal-fired unit was capable of generating before being mothballed. Eskom is hoping that the Komati project will serve as a global reference on how to Komati power station finally retires at age 60 first time since January 2020, amid a range of macroeconomic headwinds,” said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. “The long-term market outlook remains strong, however, as semiconductors continue to become a larger and more important part of our digital economy.” Regionally, month-to-month sales increased in the Americas (4,8%), Japan (0,5%), and Europe (0,1%), but decreased in Asia Pacific/All Other (-2,9%), and China (-3,0%). Year-to-year sales increased in Europe (12,4%), the Americas (11,5%), and Japan (5,6%), but decreased in Asia Pacific/All Other (-7,7%) and China (-14,4%). For more information visit www.semiconductors.org Static dissipative floor mats are designed to protect sensitive equipment, such as computers and explosive chemicals, by quickly drawing the static electricity off workers before they touch such items. When walking and moving, people tribocharge; a build-up of static charge on one’s bodies due to touching or rubbing of surfaces in specific combinations of two dissimilar materials. Even the slightest touch can pass electricity onto sensitive equipment, which can destroy processors or cause flammable chemicals to ignite. The body’s static charge can safely be drained to ground by wearing conductive shoes when walking on a dissipative floor mat. Benefits of ESD dissipative floor mats: • Vinyl lasts longer (10+ years) and there’s no need for regular maintenance. • Low reflection. • Vinyl comes in a variety of decorative styles. • Easy to repair damage or cracks. • Rubber and vinyl are pliable and very popular for use in medical facilities to cover skirtings. • Rubber can withstand extreme temperatures. To prevent static charge problems, static dissipative mats should be used. All conductive matting and dissipative matting needs to be grounded to function properly. A bench mat needs to be used in conjunction with grounding devices to provide a continuous path to ground and remove static build-up before it discharges. Actum provide custom capabilities for ESD bench mats including size, grounding snaps, custom shapes, and rounded corners. with Greg Barron, Actum Group director Clearing the Static For more information contact Actum Group, +27 11 608 3001, [email protected], www.actum.co.za ESD dissipative floor mats decommission and repurpose a coal-fired station to one which is comfortable on the renewable energy landscape. For more information visit www.eskom.co.za
Dataweek, 23 November 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 6 NEWS Microtronix Manufacturing recently embarked on an expansion project to extend its SMD production area by 1000 m2. The new area required the highest standard of ESD (electrostatic discharge) flooring available to. Actum was the logical choice, having always been Microtronix’s preferred supplier, as it is the only business in southern Africa which focuses exclusively on the control of ESD in the working environment. Michael Goodyer, founder of Microtronix, noted that they made the decision to expand their ESD flooring throughout the factory to ensure the best production outcomes in the new SMD area. Goodyer remarked, “Getting the job done the right way, the first time, is extremely important to us. ESD flooring is an obvious investment for us, to protect our clients’ highly valuable components from any ESD damage that may occur due to incorrect ESD flooring. Getting a facility correct upfront is important and allows Microtronix to Actum involved in the Microtronix expansion continue producing top quality manufactured goods with most of the ESD risks removed.” ESD flooring provides the most robust, long-term solution because the entire floor is grounded. This minimises static across the whole area. With over 28 years of expertise, Microtronix is one of the largest turnkey electronic contract manufacturers in the country. “As a leader in the South African market, we carefully choose partnerships that allow us to provide the best possible service to our clients,” said Goodyer. Actum ensured that minimal downtime occurred for Microtronix during the ESD flooring expansion. Goodyer said that they were pleased with the speed of installation, and he highlighted that Actumworked around Microtronix’s schedule installing three new Panasonic lines into the area. He remarked that a great effort was put into the project by working on weekends and after hours to prevent valuable production time from being lost. Established in 1999, the Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award is the highest achievable honour through the GSA, with recipients comprised of influential, distinguished individuals in semiconductors and related ecosystem. This honour recognises individuals for their exceptional contributions, exemplifying how their vision and global leadership have transformed and elevated the entire semiconductor industry. “Steve is a leader and visionary in our industry. Naming him as this year’s Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award is based on his exceptional business acumen and far-reaching Chairman of Microchip to receive leadership award from GSA respect among the technology industry and business community,” said Jodi Shelton, co-founder and CEO of GSA. “I had the pleasure of working closely with Steve during his tenure on GSA’s board of directors and I am delighted to honour Steve’s distinguished career and add to his legacy.” Sanghi currently serves as executive chair of Microchip and chairman of the board of directors. Spending more than 30 years as Microchip’s president and CEO, he led the company’s transformation while nurturing its culture and values, thus creating an industry stalwart that employs more than 20 000 people with a market cap of nearly $43 billion. Sanghi’s foundation of long-term success for Microchip involved fostering employee empowerment along with his commitment to and investment in creating a strong leadership pipeline and promoting from within. Several members of the leadership team at Microchip started with the company as interns and new college graduates, and today are vice presidents and senior vice presidents. The average tenure of the 35 officers of the company is 24 years, and 27 of them were promoted from within Microchip to their current position. For more information visit www.microchip.com Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) has proudly announced that it will honour technologist, business leader and ardent supporter of STEM education, Steve Sanghi, executive chair of Microchip Technology, with its prestigious Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award at this year’s Annual Awards Celebration on 8 December 2022. “Quality can always be seen in the small details of a project,” noted Goodyer. “Actum took particular care in this regard, which can be seen especially in the specialised welding between the ESD vinyl strips to allow for a seamless floor and floor preparation before the laying of the mats.” Once completed, the floor was perfectly completed with an ACL Staticide 4600 ESD sealer for a static-free finish. “ESD is always a concern for electronic manufacturers. The damage that is produced from an electrostatic discharge, although it may not be personally felt, can be highly detrimental to electronic devices. Top quality ESD flooring provides a high level of protection against electrostatic discharge,” Goodyer concluded. For more information contact Actum Group, +27 11 608 3001, [email protected], www.actum.co.za
Dataweek, 23 November 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 7 NEWS Osiris Technical Systems is a company that specialises in technology for industrial and other specialised environments. This includes RFID, barcoding, facial recognition, data acquisition hardware and solutions for automatic identification, asset tracking, access control, process monitoring, and automation. The company also supplies a range of rugged industrial and militaryqualified computers and devices. Specialised products including analog to digital converters, and simulation software aimed at engineers, are also provided. This technology is used mainly in the fields of logistics, security, and warehousing. The company was started in 1985 by Stef du Plessis with the goal of serving the technical computing market. Initially having only two staff members, the company has now grown to a staff complement of nine permanent members. Osiris started out by offering technical software and computers for both industrial and military applications. However, with the global move in the last few years towards rugged handheld devices for use in industrial and military applications, focus has been shifted to this line for the current and future growth of both the product portfolio and the company. COMPANY PROFILE Osiris Technical Systems The company’s core values are always ones of ethical behaviour, honesty, integrity, and going above and beyond to offer a superior service to all clients. With the shift in focus to include handheld devices together with other products on offer, it was necessary for the company to move to larger premises in 2021. The move to the new rental property allowed for expansion of the company’s operation. Stef du Plessis believes that Osiris will become the supplier of choice for technical computing devices and services, and auto identification products within the South African market. He remarks, “The company’s plans include providing growth together with the employees and to create exceptional value for our customers over time.” The growth of the company’s employees is borne out by the fact that one of the repair technicians started with the company as a domestic worker. Upon hearing that she worked in her spare time after hours repairing mobile phones, the company identified specific training programmes for her to jumpstart and then to further her career. Once training was completed, she took on a new position with the company and today, after promotions within the company, has become a valuable member in the company’s repair centre. Osiris has long-standing partnerships with leading manufacturers, software developers and system integrators around the world and is proud of its long history and deep knowledge of the market. This allows the company to design customised solutions, source reliable products, and provide ongoing support for a wide range of applications in industry, engineering, logistics, and security. Osiris has a passion for its products and its clients. The company is dedicated to understanding its clients’ needs and offering customised and specialised solutions. The company’s core values are always ones of ethical behaviour, honesty, integrity, and going above and beyond to offer a superior service to all clients. For more information contact Osiris Technical Systems, +27 12 346 0249, [email protected], www.osiris.co.za
Dataweek, 23 November 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 8 REGULAR SYSTEMS, COMPONENTS, DESIGN Wireless connectivity has become a mandatory feature for many products, but often increases the cost and complexity of system design since it generally must be added as part of the larger application. Microchip Technology has introduced its first Arm Cortex-M4F-based PIC microcontroller family that solves this wireless connectivity design challenge. It accomplishes this by integrating Bluetooth Low Energy functionality directly into one of a system’s most basic components. “Our PIC32CX-BZ2 MCU family removes barriers that have made it difficult to bring wireless applications to market, from availability problems and complexity challenges to regulatory certification hurdles and long-term support concerns,” said Steve Caldwell, vice president of Microchip’s wireless solutions business unit. “Our family tightly integrates wireless connectivity with an MCU that is built on our decades of specialised experience and backed by a vertical manufacturing approach that encompasses ICs, Microchip’s highly integrated software stacks, in-house New Arm-based PIC microcontrollers with Bluetooth LE To meet the growing demand for a feature-rich yet simple design solution for developing smart meters, Microchip has announced the PIC32CXMT family of 32-bit microprocessors with a new MPL460 power line communication (PLC) modem. The new suite of MCU devices is a next-generation smart metering platform targeting industrial IoT, Smart metering platform available on a 32-bit MCU GreenChip synchronous rectifier controller The TEA2093TS is a member of a new generation of synchronous rectifier (SR) controller ICs from NXP Semiconductors, suitable for switched-mode power supplies. It includes an adaptive gate drive for maximum efficiency at any load. This device is a dedicated controller IC for synchronous rectification on the secondary side of asymmetrical half-bridge flyback and standard flyback converters. It incorporates the sensing stage and driver stage for driving the SR MOSFET, which is rectifying the output of the secondary transformer winding. The TEA2093 can generate its own supply voltage for battery-charging applications with low-output voltage or for applications with high-side rectification. It can operate in a wide output voltage range down to 0 V and its typical supply current in no-load operation is below 200 µA. The TEA2093TS is fabricated in a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process. Typical applications for the chip include power adapters and chargers for mobile devices. For more information contact EBV Electrolink, +27 21 402 1940, [email protected], www.ebv.com commercial and industrial metering applications. The platform boasts increased performance with up to 200 MHz operation and broad scalability with up to 560 kB of memory (SRAM). The PIC32CXMT family is offered in three variants based on a single Arm Cortex-M4F core, a dual Arm Cortex-M4 core and a system-on-chip (SoC) device. The MPL460 PLC modem integrates the line driver for signal amplification, which reduces the bill of materials and provides a signal injection efficiency above 40%. The PLC modem helps to increase efficiency and reliability based on power delivered to the load and power taken from the supply, resulting in an overall reduction in consumption from the source during transmission. The platform provides several transceiver solutions, including a radio/PHY, a PLC/PHY or the option to select a PLC+RF hybrid solution. It also supports standards for wired and wireless communications, such as G3-PLC and PRIME. For more information contact Andrew Athanasiou, Altron Arrow, +27 21 525 1703, [email protected], www.altronarrow.com module manufacturing and a customer-driven obsolescence practice.” Microchip’s PIC32CX-BZ2 family includes system-on-chip (SoC) devices as well as global regulatory-certified, RF-ready modules. In addition to Bluetooth Low Energy functionality, the family includes Zigbee stacks and over-the-air (OTA) update capabilities. The MCU family hardware features include a 12-bit analog to digital converter, multiple timer/counters channels, an on-board encryption engine, and a broad set of interfaces for touch, CAN, sensor, display and other peripherals. The family’s 1 MB of Flash memory supports large application codes, multiprotocol wireless stacks, and OTA updates. AEC-Q100 Grade 1 qualified packages provide an operating temperature up to 125°C and further simplify wireless connectivity integration where highly robust solutions are required. For more information contact Future Electronics, +27 21 421 8292, [email protected], www.futureelectronics.com
Silicon Carbide Power Solutions Adopt SiC With Ease, Speed and Confidence The global Silicon Carbide (SiC) market is growing fast; stay ahead of the curve with Microchip. Our industryleading portfolio of SiC power solutions delivers the lowest system cost, fastest time to market and lowest risk. The unrivaled ruggedness and performance of our products eliminates the need for device redundancy and free-wheeling diodes, reducing component count and allowing you to develop smaller, lighter and less expensive applications. Our digital gate drivers and comprehensive system solutions cut development times by up to six months, accelerating your designs to market—and revenue—at full speed. Moreover, our dual-fab strategy and multi-source epi wafer supply allows us to deliver SiC power devices to our customers in 8 to 20 weeks, beating competitor lead times by a year or more. Not only can we provide the SiC products you want now, our client-driven obsolescence practice ensures we’ll continue to supply the products you need for as long as you need them. • Extremely low switching losses to improve system efficiency • High power density for smaller footprint to reduce size and weight • Three times more thermally conductive than silicon • Reduced sink requirements to achieve smaller size and lighter weight • High-temperature operation to improve reliability at increased power density microchip.com/esc The Microchip name and logo and the Microchip logo are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their registered owners. © 2022 Microchip Technology Inc. All rights reserved. MEC2440A-UK-08-22
Dataweek, 23 November 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 10 REGULAR SYSTEMS, COMPONENTS, DESIGN The MCX N series from NXP features highperformance, low-power microcontrollers with smart peripherals and accelerators. This provides the ultimate balance between performance and power consumption. This advanced series introduces the first instance of NXP’s proprietary neural processing unit (NPU) with high levels of integration and precision analog processing. The low-power cache enhances system performance, while the dual-bank flash and full ECC RAM support system safety, offering an extra layer of protection. The multicore design delivers improved performance and reduced power consumption through efficient distribution of workloads to the analog and digital peripherals. The MCUs offer secure boot and an immutable root-of-trust, hardware-accelerated cryptography, and a built-in Edgelock secure subsystem. MCX N series microcontrollers RF power GaN transistor NXP Semiconductors has released a new 48 V Airfast RF power GaN transistor. This 27 dBm RF transistor covers the frequency range of 3300 to 3800 MHz and is designed for cellular base station applications. The transistors have high terminal impedance for optimal broadband performance. They are designed for low complexity analog or digital linearisation systems. They have a universal broadband driver and are optimised for massive MIMO active antenna systems for 5G base stations. Supply voltage is 48 V with a peak power rating of 10 W. For more information contact RS Components, +27 11 691 9300, [email protected], www.rs-online.co.za Selectable pressure range in an industrial MEMS sensor The ILPS22QS from ST Microelectronics is an ultra-compact piezoresistive absolute pressure sensor for industrial applications that behaves as a digital output barometer. It is the first industrial ST pressure sensor supporting a selectable dual full-scale pressure range up to 1260 or 4060 hPa. Thanks to its full-moulded package consisting of six small vent holes, a suspended membrane, and a silicon cap, it is ideal for measuring air Infineon has announced the XDPS2221, the first IC on the market that combines both PFC boost and hybrid flyback conversion features in a single package. It enables optimised system performance through combined operation of two stages, and brings ultimate efficiency in conjunction with GaN-based devices. Key benefits of this combination are: • Class-leading efficiency across various line/load conditions. Driving giGaNtic performance pressure and for smart filter maintenance in industrial applications involving extended temperature ranges from -40 up to 105°C. The high-resolution ILPS22QS embeds analog hub sensing used to implement the Qvar technology, which is critical for water leakage detection. Typical applications include gas and water metering, weather station equipment, as a barometer or altimeter for outdoor activities, and HVAC systems. The MCX MCUs are based on dual Arm Cortex-M33 cores running at up to 150 MHz, combined with 2 MB of flash with optional ECC RAM, smart DMA, and a DSP co-processor. For more information contact Future Electronics, +27 21 421 8292, [email protected], www.futureelectronics.com For more information contact Avnet Silica, [email protected], www.avnet-silica.com • Ultra-high power density and switching frequency. • Up to 50% transformer size reduction compared to flyback topologies. • Wide output voltage for USB-PD standard V3.1. For more information contact Altron Arrow, +27 11 923 9600, [email protected], www.altronarrow.com
500.000+ products from 1200+ producers on o er! 95% of our orders are processed on the same day! Find tomorrow’s connections today! ... Automation | Connectors | Passives | Semiconductors ... Transfer Multisort Elektronik Sp. z o.o. ul. Ustronna 41, 93-350 Łódź, Poland [email protected] [email protected] +48 42 293 52 99 Infineon has announced the 950 V CoolMOS PFD7 family, which is based on its revolutionary superjunction MOSFET technology. This technology has an integrated ultra-fast body diode and is tailored for use in applications such as consumer and industrial SMPS, and lighting. The improved devices have up to 0,5% efficiency gain and up to 4°C lower MOSFET Performance boost for SMPS and lighting High-precision, linear 3D Hall-effect sensor The TMAG5173-Q1 from Texas Instruments is a low-power linear 3D Hall-effect sensor designed for a wide range of automotive applications. This device integrates three independent Hall-effect sensors in the X, Y, and Z axes. A precision analog signal-chain along with an integrated 12-bit ADC digitises the measured analog magnetic field values. The I2C interface, while supporting multiple operating VCC ranges, ensures seamless data communication with low-voltage microcontrollers. The device has an integrated temperature sensor available for multiple system functions, such as thermal budget check or temperature compensation calculation for a given magnetic field. An integrated angle calculation engine provides full 360° angular position information for both on-axis and off-axis angle measurement topologies. The angle calculation is performed using two user-selected magnetic axes. The device features magnetic gain and offset correction to mitigate the impact of system mechanical error sources. For more information contact Altron Arrow, +27 11 923 9600, [email protected], www.altronarrow.com temperature compared to CoolMOS C3. The components enable designs with higher power density, providing considerable savings on the BOM and lower assembly costs. For more information contact EBV Electrolink, +27 21 402 1940, [email protected], www.ebv.com REGULAR SYSTEMS, COMPONENTS, DESIGN
Dataweek, 23 November 2022 www.dataweek.co.za 12 TELECOMMUNICATIONS, WIRELESS, IoT, RF & MICROWAVE FEATURE The major drive this year was on miniaturisation, renewable energy, EV power management, 5G, and IoT with the Matter protocol headlining often. Security also featured regularly in many new SoCs and SoMs that were announced, as did advances in AI and ML on SoCs. The Matter protocol Matter is a software foundation for connected systems. It is a combined effort between many of the largest semiconductor companies worldwide to provide one communications protocol to connect compatible devices and systems with one another. The protocol aims to ensure that smart home and industrial devices are secure, reliable and seamless to use. Silicon Labs was first to announce a new addition in the form of the BG24 and MG24 families of 2,4 GHz wireless SoCs for multiple-protocol operations. This combined hardware and software platform is used to enable AI/ML applications and high-performance wireless operation to battery-powered edge devices. The family of devices is Matter ready and incorporates PSA Level 3 Secure Vault protection. Miniaturisation and low SWaP designs Miniaturisation of components and designs was another common theme amongst new product releases. From individual components to SoCs and SoMs, sizes are continuously becoming smaller and the power consumption of these modules is decreasing. Driving this is the move towards longer battery life and lower heat generation. u-blox released the smallest GNSS chip. Measuring only 4,5 x 4,5mm, the chip provides high sensitivity and fast acquisition times with no external components. With power consumption of less than 25 W, the component offers twice the battery life of competing GNSS units. Despite its small size, performance is excellent due to the concurrent reception of four GNSS systems. Not to be outdone, Antenova arrived at the miniaturisation party with a small-space antenna measuring only 40 x 10 mm. The SMD antenna operates on most 4G and 5G bands between the ranges of 617 MHz and 3,8 GHz. Its light weight of only 3 grams makes it ideally suited to small, handheld designs. Products/Technologies of the year 2022 Although 2022 has been largely in financial turmoil, there was a lot of growth in terms of engineering technology. Many new advances were made, and new and innovative products were announced and released. Figure 1. The BG24 and MG24 SoCs which are Matter ready. Figure 3. Antenova’s SMD antenna. Figure 4. Quectel’s SG560D module. PRODUCTS/TECHNOLOG ES O THE YEAR 2022 FEATURE ARTICLE Figure 2. The diminutive MIA-M10Q GNSS chip. Wireless systems: 5G, Wi-Fi 6 5G was another hot topic on manufacturers’ lists. Many modules were released onto the market that were either 5G or Wi-Fi 6 capable. Quectel announced the SG560D smart module, a multi-mode 5G module with built-in Android OS. Based on the high-performance 64-bit octa-core processors with built-in GPU, the module is perfect for industrial and consumer applications requiring high data rates. For communication, the module supports both 5G andWi-Fi 6E but is still compatible with older 4G/3G modes. The latest Espressif MCU also arrived with an embeddedWi-Fi 6 radio. The ESP32-C6 SoC integrated 2,4 GHz Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 (LE) and 802.15.4 protocol. The module consists of dual high-performance 32-bit RISC-V processors, one clocked at 160 MHz, and a second low-power processor clocked at up to 20 MHz. The increase in the number of IoT devices worldwide is a huge driver for both 5G andWi-Fi 6 technologies. With these wireless systems becoming more prevalent, IoT devices are promising to become more common. Ultra-wideband location tracking GNSS modules are high-performance location tracking devices but have one major drawback. In dense urban canyons or indoors, the satellite signal is not received, rendering the modules incapable of finding an accurate location. This is where UWB enters. UWB-enabled devices have the ability to connect with similar devices in their vicinity, thereby getting positional information via a network of devices. These UWB-enabled devices can understand both motion and relative position in areas where a GNSS signal cannot be received. This allows highly precise location services down to centimetre level. UWB technology is still in its infancy but is poised to make a huge difference to everything that involves positioning, sensing and related automation. Power management and renewable energy With the unrelenting worldwide surge towards renewable energy, power electronics and power management modules are becoming cutting-edge.
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