Embedded Computing Design

Individually, the various components that make up an IoT system are well understood:

• A sensor that captures data
• A serial bus that communicates data to an edge processor
• An edge processor that writes data to memory
• A wireless link like cellular that transmits data to a local or remote cloud
• A web dashboard that allows users to observe data as information and do something with it

On this episode the Insiders track the return of analog computing.  Mythic is a company looking to revolutionize AI computing through an  innovative matrix processor that processes analog signals in on-chip  memory before outputting them to the digital domain. Where does this tech fit today?

The SimplyNUC Topaz isn’t really a development kit. More aptly, it’s a mini PC.

The high-energy physics community leverages PICMG’s MicroTCA.4 hardware standard for timing and synchronization, data acquisition, and control at particle accelerators like DESY. But as experiments at these research centers advance, the performance of supporting systems must evolve. How can standards like MicroTCA support the demands of bleeding-edge use cases and remain applicable to broader markets?

This is the second Sfera Labs kit we’ve reviewed on Dev Kit Weekly, and its name gives a lot away.

Today's system designers need to do more with less, and one of the best ways to accomplish that is through pin multiplexing, or pin muxing. Pin muxing allows a processor or SoC's various pins to be repurposed for different functions, which on today's advanced chips, means a few dozen pins can carry hundreds of signals.

The eSync Alliance has released the eSync Agent SDK that streamlines integration of ECUs, sensors and other devices with the standardized eSync OTA platform. The downloadable software package is available to all eSync Alliance members.

The KV260 Vision AI Starter Kit is based on Xilinx’s Kria K26 system on module, which is a … wait, wait, wait. A system on module from Xilinx?

So we have a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. And we have version 2 of the Raspberry Pi Camera Module. They interface via a MIPI CSI-2 connector and this ribbon cable, which is about six inches long. But what if I wanted to position the camera a significant distance away from the Pi, say, to function as a webcam? Or across the room?

It’s time for our robot to make sense of what it can see.

Historically, the embedded electronics deployed in industrial applications have been relatively simple, both to keep costs down but more importantly to ensure safe, reliable system operation by keep complexity to a minimum.

Boy, have things changed.

The speed with which edge AI ecosystems like TinyML are evolving has made standardization difficult, much less the creation of performance and resource utilization benchmarks that could simplify technology evaluation. Edge AI benchmarks would be hugely beneficial to the ML industry as they could help accelerate solution comparison, selection, and the productization process.

Teknic has added g-Stop Anti-Vibration Motion Profile to various SKUs in its ClearPath MC and SC integrated servo motor product lines. The Profile enables quick motion without mechanical resonance, helping improve throughput over jerk limiting, notch filters, or s-curves.

In this episode of Embedded Toolbox, Part 3 of our "Let's Build a Robot Series," we begin integrating the Robot Operating System (ROS) into our VxWorks-based design. So, why use an operating system alongside an operating system?

Today’s robotic systems are no longer the static ones of the past. They must be dynamic, with the ability to run different workloads, applications, and potentially even perform different tasks than they did when initially deployed. And they have to be able to acquire this new functionality without needing a field technician physically present to update them.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Canoo have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the construction of a research and development center focused on electric propulsion technologies. The center, which will be located at UW-Madison, will also investigate solutions for on-grid and off-grid operation with the goal of lowering total cost of EV ownership.

To address the high-speed broadband requirements of the U.S. government’s FirstNet public safety communications platform, Lanner Electronics has upgraded its V3S and V6S rugged in-vehicle computers with extension slots for FirstNet-ready Pigeon (PGN) modules. These modules, which are integrated onto a caddy, can be plugged into the aforementioned systems to add 4G or 4.5G LTE wireless connectivity today and 5G communications in the future.

Sondrel has added the SFA 300 reference design to its semi-custom SoC IP portfolio. Consisting of four-CPU clusters featuring 4 TOPS per channel of AI processing and 400 GOPS per channel of DSP performance, clusters can be daisy chained via the PCIe interface to create HPC solutions. The IP reuse solution enables the creation of differentiated AI, 8K video, blockchain, data analytics, and other high-performance data processing solutions by integrating customer-specific IP such that design time and cost can be reduced by up to 30 percent.

SmartDV has packaged the SmartViP Debug, a tool designed for automated protocol debugging, and SmartTestBench, which automatically generates testbench files and includes a variety of verification scenarios, into a unified automation tool suite. By identifying protocol violations and presenting them in graphical views or through tabular or text-based representations, the combined offering helps eliminate manual verification processes.

Littelfuse has announced that the 400PV series of photovoltaic fuses is now available. The 400PV Fuse series is a family of low-resistance, 2410-sized SMD circuit protectors that guard against reverse overcurrent and integrate directly with roof shingles so that they can be mounted directly to existing roofs. This eliminates the need for separate solar panels.