Electronics Weekly - Intersil Analog Power Module, Microchip CAN FD Controller & More

FreeWave OEM Embedded Radio

(Image courtesy of Freewave Technologies.)

FreeWave Technologies has announced the ZumLink Z9-PC, the latest in the company’s line of 900 MHz radios designed for OEM and embedded applications. The radios are designed to function in rugged environments for a variety of applications across Industrial IoT (IIoT) markets, including defense, precision agriculture, oil and gas, unmanned systems, smart cities and utilities. Additionally, future iterations of the Z9-PC will feature full programmability with third-party applications.

“The Z9-PC is our most advanced embeddable radio to date,” said Phil Linker, senior product manager at FreeWave Technologies. “Not only does it support the functionality of FreeWave’s ZumLink 900 MHz Z9-PE radio, but will include the ZumIQ App Server with the ability to host third-party applications at the edge of IIoT networks.”

For more information, visit FreeWave’s website.

Intersil 15A, 42V Analog Power Module

(Image courtesy of Intersil.)

Intersil has announced a 42V single-channel DC/DC step-down power module that delivers up to 15A of continuous current. The ISL8215M operates from a single wide input voltage range that includes industry standard 12V, 18V, and 24V intermediate bus power rails. The module offers adjustable output voltages from 0.6V to 12V, and provides the a power density of 60mA/mm2 in a 13mm x 19mm package. Its 96.5 percent peak efficiency drives point-of-load (POL) conversions for FPGAs, DSPs and MCUs in industrial, medical, and portable equipment that use Li-ion batteries.

The ISL8215M is a complete DC-to-DC power supply that includes a controller, MOSFETs, inductor and passive components inside a single encapsulated package to simplify system design and speed time to market. The module's High Density Array (HDA) package offers electrical and thermal performance through a single-layer conductive package substrate that reduces lead inductance and dissipates heat primarily through the system board. The ISL8215M's components are mounted to a copper lead-frame structure that allows the module to operate at full load over a wide temperature range with no airflow or heatsinks, further reducing size and cost.

Information concerning pricing and availability can be found on Intersil’s website.

Microchip External CAN FD Controller

(Image courtesy of Microchip Technology.)

Microchip Technology has released an external CAN Flexible Data Rate (CAN FD) controller. The MCP2517FD provides designers with a simplified path to upgrade from CAN 2.0 to CAN FD and benefit from CAN FD protocol enhancements.

CAN FD offers many benefits over traditional CAN 2.0, including faster data rates and data byte message expansion. The MCP2517FD CAN FD controller can be used with any microcontroller (MCU), enabling developers to implement this technology without a complete system redesign.

Since the adoption and transition to CAN FD is in the beginning stages, there are a limited number of CAN FD MCUs available today. In addition, changing a system MCU can come with a significant cost, increased development time and risk. MCP2517FD allows system designers to enable CAN FD functionality by adding only one external component while continuing to utilize the majority of their design.

Additional technical specifications are available on Microchip’s website.

RS Components Fourth Generation Power Supplies

(Image courtesy of RS Components.)

RS Components has introduced the fourth generation of LOGO!Power power supplies from Siemens. These narrow power supply units have the same design as the Siemens LOGO!8 logic controllers and deliver up to 100W for distribution boards, as well as being compatible with the third-generation range of devices.

Offering housing widths of 18 to 72 mm, the compact fourth-generation devices offer a width reduced by 18 mm with respect to the previous generation, which allows more flexible mounting on DIN rails in distribution boards or directly on walls or ceilings. They can also be mounted side-by-side with other devices, for example, supplying power to adjacent LOGO! intelligent logic modules.

The series comprises a total of 11 devices with regulated and adjustable output voltages of 5, 12 15 and 24V supplying an output of up to 100W. Their wide-range input allows these power supply devices to be operated with all single-phase supply networks at 110 to 240V AC nominal voltage, and even with direct voltage networks at 110 to 300V DC without the need to switch over.

For more information, visit RS Components’ website.

Synopsys Low-Power TSMC 40-nm eFlash Processes

(Image courtesy of Synopsys.)

Synopsys has announced its collaboration with TSMC to develop foundry-sponsored DesignWare Foundation IP, including logic libraries and embedded memories, for TSMC's 40-nanometer (nm) ultra-low power (ULP) eFlash and 40-nm low-power (LP) eFlash processes.

Synopsys' Foundation IP on TSMC's 40-nm eFlash processes implements features that enable designers to reduce power consumption for IoT designs. The logic libraries include multiple channel gate lengths and low leakage standard cells to minimize leakage power, and offer power optimization kits and multi-bit flip-flops to achieve near-threshold operation down to 60 percent of nominal voltage.

The embedded memories offer light sleep, deep sleep, and shut-down power management features for the lowest leakage, as well as assist circuitry to enable low operating voltages. The DesignWare Logic Library and Embedded Memory IP on the TSMC 40-nm eFlash processes is available through Synopsys' Foundry-Sponsored IP Program, which enables qualified customers to license the IP at no cost from Synopsys.

For more information, visit Synopsys’ website.

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