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Anritsu Corporation has extended the functionality of its Signalling Tester MD8430A with the introduction of a protocol test solution for Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) devices for Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites. As a result of the upgrade, the MD8430A can now support NTN Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technologies.

NTN NB-IoT is an IoT communication service for areas that terrestrial base stations cannot cover and is used in such fields as maritime shipping, logistics, mining, and automobiles. It enables a host of IoT devices to connect to the network with low power consumption. Its current specification is 3GPP Release 17. With this functionality enhancement, Anritsu will help to improve the quality of NTN devices and contribute to the realization of a prosperous network society.

Development Background

In the past, individual satellite operators have offered proprietary satellite communication services. However, since the standardization of NTN communications in 3GPP Release 17, the satellite communication service market has rapidly grown, and various verifications based on the standard specifications have become necessary. For GEO satellites, NTN device vendors need test environments that can simulate the communication delay over a distance of approximately 36,000 km between satellite and device. Satellites must also transmit information over this distance to the device for delay compensation. To support these test requirements, Anritsu has developed a protocol test solution that boasts high reliability built on test experiences with market-leading customers and high flexibility in condition setting.

Product Outline

The MD8430A is a base station simulator that can build a simulated network necessary for the development of chipsets and devices. With its software option NTN NB-IoT (GEO) MD8430A-043 and its control software option NTN over IoT Framework for RTD MX800050A-070, the MD8430A can be connected to an NTN device for GEO satellites, which makes it possible to test the connection with the NTN network and roaming between the terrestrial network and NTN network, among others.

GDevCON, a high-level technical event for LabVIEW architects, is not your typical conference. Held over two days in the iconic Glasgow Science Centre, it offers a unique space for collaboration and idea-sharing, free from corporate oversight or control. Here, Chris Knight, technical support engineer at automation and control technology specialist, Beckhoff UK, a gold sponsor at the event, explains the key take aways and the vital function that Inputs and Outputs (I/O) communication plays in connecting systems, exchanging data and ensuring efficient automation.

Unlike trade shows, GDevCON is all about bringing LabVIEW experts together to exchange knowledge and foster a developer community. But what truly sets the event apart is the emphasis on credibility, as exhibitors must know at least one attendee, who either develops or works in LabVIEW, to join.

With that in mind, it was impressive to see GDevCON 2023 welcome approximately 200 attendees, including representatives from organisations like SpaceX, CERN, nuclear research facilities and large National Instruments (NI) systems integrators. It also attracted participants from 23 countries, including the USA and India, along with the presence of five NI employees.

From the numerous talks and conversations that took place, we quickly realised that many of the manufacturers had gaps or deficiencies in their existing production lines.

More specifically, these companies claimed to be absent from — and in need of — cost-effective options for motion control, fieldbus communications and a more extensive I/O range.

Motion control

Motion control, also known as servo control or robotics, is a branch of automation that focuses on precisely controlling the movement of various components inside a machine. The movement of these different parts are usually controlled by rotary and linear actuators.

Machine position and velocity can be regulated using a motion control device, like an electric motor, hydraulic pump, or servo actuator. Typically, industrial operations use motion control to move specified loads carefully, hence controlling the movement of objects falls under motion control.

A challenge in motion control for manufacturers is the delicate balance between precision and efficiency. Achieving highly precise movements in industrial processes is vital for quality and consistency, yet this level of precision often comes at the cost of increased energy consumption and slower production speeds.

Highly precise movements demand meticulous control, which may require more time and energy. However, striking the right balance is essential as motion control systems enhance efficiency, quality and competitiveness in a variety of industries, from manufacturing and robotics to aerospace and healthcare.

Fieldbus communications

Efficiency and movement precision are critical in manufacturing lines. However, fieldbus communication is essential to unlock these benefits.

Firstly, fieldbus networks are a means of communicating with input devices and output devices, without having to connect each individual device back to, for example, the PLC or industrial PC.

Before its introduction, computers would connect using direct serial connections whereby only two devices could communicate per connection. Whereas the fieldbus allows hundreds of analogue and digital points to connect simultaneously, which not only reduces the number of cables required but also cuts down cable length too.

In an industrial setting, this ensures the integration of numerous devices, along with standardised communication and compatibility. Be it in a single machine or across a large plant, the fieldbus network is a significant component that lays the foundations for scalability and dependable industrial automation options.

All about the I/O

By serving as the communication backbone, fieldbus allows various I/O devices to share information efficiently. Here, sensors collect data and send it to the fieldbus, while actuators receive commands from the same network.

This integration streamlines control, reduces wiring complexity and centralises monitoring, making it ideal for applications with extensive I/O requirements. However, those without an extensive I/O range can come across problems, especially in terms of scalability.

For instance, a narrow I/O range may create obstacles for manufacturers wanting to meet the diverse needs of their customers, because they lack the necessary sensor and actuator options. This, in turn, restricts market reach due to the limitations in being able to alter production lines for custom products.

This reinforces the critical role I/O plays, as without it, industrial and electronic devices would not receive data. In essence, it forms the bedrock of industrial control and data processing, with I/O modules serving as intermediaries between a central processor and the industrial device to ensure connectivity.

For instance, within a programmable logic controller (PLC), input modules can receive signals from switches, sensors, transmitters, actuators and other connected equipment. While output modules on the PLC transmit response signals to the devices controlled by the PLC in response to the received signals.

EtherCAT is the answer

EtherCAT is a communication protocol often used in industrial automation where quick data exchange between devices is essential, including those within a PLC. Moreover, it is highly scalable and can accommodate a large number of devices on a single network, making it suitable for both small-scale and large-scale industrial applications.

Digital options, such as Beckhoff’s TwinCAT automation software, offers EtherCAT as a primary communication option. This not only enables users to configure, manage and control EtherCAT-based automation systems, but also provides EtherCAT Master functionality too.

For example, PLCs connected via EtherCAT can connect and control various aspects of the assembly process, ensuring synchronised movement of robots, conveyor belts and quality control sensors for precise coordination.

It must also be noted that this prevents companies from having to design raw data to scaled values in-house. Instead, the software has the modules to do that for you — a need that was highlighted at GDevCON and one that helps to plug the gaps in a plant’s production line.

If you’d like to learn more about Beckhoff’s secure communication protocol, TwinCAT and other control technology, visit www.beckhoff.com. 

Cutting energy costs, reducing loss, and downtime, Teledyne FLIR, is all set to showcase their Electric Utility Solutions product portfolio at Middle East Energy 2024 scheduled from 16th to 18th April at Dubai World Trade Centre.

Exhibiting at Stand H4 E30, Teledyne FLIR will showcase energy-saving solutions such as Industrial Acoustic Imaging Camera, Handheld Thermal Cameras, Fixed Thermal Cameras, and Test & Measurement equipment.

The ground-breaking product on display is the FLIR Si2-Pro™, an industrial acoustic imaging camera for partial discharge detection, pressurized leak detection and mechanical fault detection. The FLIR Si2-Pro helps you significantly lower costs associated with mechanical bearing issues and partial discharge on electrical equipment. It also enables you to drastically reduce leaks in your facilities, cutting down expenses related to compressed air and gas leaks. With the Si2 series, you’ll experience the best-in-class performance, decision support, fleet management, and enterprise data integration available.

In addition to the FLIR Si2-Pro™, Teledyne FLIR will also showcase the following solutions:

FLIR Exx-Series

The FLIR E76, E86 and E96 offers a range of full-featured handheld thermal cameras fit for every budget, making all your inspections more convenient. To make your processes even more efficient, you can also pair your camera with a FLIR FlexView™ dual field-of-view lens to easily switch from wide-area to telephoto scanning, providing you with a comprehensive solution that involves much less hassle, effort, and time.

FLIR T-Series

Whether it’s your responsibility to maintain a factory’s uptime or keep the power flowing through distribution networks, FLIR T-Series thermal cameras offer the flexibility, precision, and features needed to inspect equipment safely and prevent breakdowns. From the 180° optical block rotation on T500-Series models, to the OSX™ Precision HDIR optical system designed exclusively for the T1K, the T-Series offers the next level in design and performance.

FLIR G306 Optical Gas Imaging (OGI)

The FLIR G306, a portable, non-contact innovative Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) camera is used to safely and efficiently scan sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆), ammonia (NH), ethylene (C₂H₄), and other industrial harmful gas leaks in various environments without interfering with electric utility delivery or shutting down industrial operations.

FLIR and EXTECH Test & Measurement Equipment

Intelligent and tough, FLIR and EXTECH Test & Measurement instruments are designed to meet the challenges of your industrial application.

For more details on innovations and offerings visit Teledyne FLIR stand H4.E30
Date: 16th- 18th April, 2024.
Location: Dubai World Trade Centre.

When it comes to hardware design, system engineers have more than one architecture to choose from. Both Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can offer benefits, but which one is best for your application? Here, Ross Turnbull, Director of Business Development and Product Engineering at ASIC design and supply company Swindon Silicon Systems, explains what to consider.

To start understanding the differences between an ASIC and an FPGA, we begin by defining the two. An ASIC is a type of IC that has been designed uniquely for its target application, whereas an FPGA is typically a standard part that is user-configurable and can fulfil multiple purposes. FPGAs can be reprogrammed one or more times to perform a variety of tasks.

At first glance, the distinction between the two seems simple: one has been carefully optimised, the other built for flexibility. But when it comes to choosing between an ASIC and an FPGA for your specific application, the differences can be a lot more nuanced. So, what factors should you consider?

How fast do you need to get to market?

If time-to-market is of the utmost priority, an FPGA will likely be the preferred route. Unlike ASICs, which involve a rigorous custom design process, FPGAs are typically sourced off-the-shelf. Equipped with a standard interface, FPGAs can be easily reprogrammed by the customer for specific functions, enabling quick and easy product integration. This makes them ideal for dynamic fields where the environment and expectations are changing quickly, and these factors are prioritised over cost considerations.

But if you’d like the optimised performance of an ASIC without an extensive timeframe, there are routes available to make this possible. ASIC designers have access to one or more libraries of foundry and third-party IP. These IP blocks can be used to form the basis of a custom IC design, shortening development time without losing the optimisation benefits of an ASIC. Software can also be developed in parallel to the hardware, further shortening the project timeline.

Digital, analogue or both?

FPGAs are best suited to realise digital circuitry. While it’s possible to include analogue blocks onto the FPGA silicon to provide both digital and analogue compatibility, these blocks often don’t have the desired performance.

In this scenario, the ASIC provides a distinct advantage. A variety of analogue components including analogue to digital converters (ADCs), amplifiers, voltage regulators, filters and synthesizers can be combined with digital devices in a mixed-signal ASIC solution. Advanced communication protocols such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) can also be incorporated into the design.

Cost and volume

The cost factor depends largely on the scale of production required. ASIC design and development stages mean that they typically have a higher non-recurring engineering cost (NRE) than FPGAs. However, ASICs will often have a lower cost per unit. This is due to the removal of unneeded functionalities, reducing overall silicon size and bill of materials. As a result, while the initial cost and time investment for ASIC design is higher, it typically offers a much better ROI on for larger or longer production volumes.

Performance

While a reprogrammable FPGA will be able to perform a wider variety of tasks, an ASIC will always offer the superior performance for the exact task it’s been designed for.

This tailored approach means that the ASIC can offer significant technical advantages over FPGAs and other solutions on the market. For instance, wearable applications requiring a compact chip with an extended battery life will likely benefit from the ultra-low power circuitry that can be best achieved with an ASIC.

To illustrate this, it’s possible to look at Swindon’s own development. ASICs in our tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) family must have a minimum operational lifespan of ten years, powering a MEMS pressure sensor, microprocessor and RF transmitter — all from a single coin cell battery.

Decline and obsolescence

FPGA supply, like many other off-the-shelf solutions, is determined by the manufacturer. If supply drops below a minimum level, the manufacturer may halt production of new FPGA chips and issue a notification of obsolescence. Following this, it’s down to the customer to identify an alternative. This could be the purchase of leftover chips or sourcing a similar product from a different supplier. Either way, obsolescence is often a tricky area to navigate and a headache for purchasing and procurement professionals.

An ASIC is slightly different. Rather than the manufacturer deciding to halt production, the equivalent in ASIC terms would be the silicon process going obsolete. When designing a custom IC, the supplier will take care to ensure the silicon process chosen meets the expected lifetime of the product. But in the unlikely event obsolescence occurs earlier than expected, a reputable ASIC company will work with the customer to find an alternative solution.

It’s possible to port the design onto a newer silicon process instead. Wafers can also be purchased and stored for several decades in dry nitrogen cupboards. Depending on the needs of the customer, these steps can be taken alongside the commencement of a new ASIC project. The benefit of this rounded approach is it means the customer will always have sufficient product to fulfil orders between the old and new ASIC.

At first, the differences between an ASIC and FPGA can seem quite straightforward. But when it comes to identifying how each one might benefit your specific application, it requires a much more thought-out approach. Considering cost, time-to-market, obsolescence, and other key factors is essential to ensure you have a chip that meets all your product’s needs, both for the current and future iterations. 

To discuss your project and find out if an ASIC solution is for you, visit our website to book a consultation with a member of the Swindon team today.

element14, an Avnet Community, is working with Infineon to host the four-part webinar series, “ModusToolbox™︎ Workshops: From Getting Started to Custom Hardware,” to showcase ModusToolbox™︎ software, a popular Infineon offering used for efficient embedded development.

These webinars, led by Clark Jarvis, Software Technical Marketer at Infineon, will provide an understanding of ModusToolbox™︎ and related embedded development concepts. Each webinar will build in complexity, starting with the basics of using the software and ending with the steps to port the application onto custom hardware.

“I know our Community members will appreciate the opportunity to build upon their knowledge and implementation of the ModusToolbox™︎ software with each webinar,” said Andreea Teodorescu, Global Director of Product Marketing & element14 Community. “Though the webinars can be watched as stand-alone videos, they will increase in complexity to provide a holistic overview for our members of this software.”

The first webinar in the series, “ModusToolbox™︎ Workshop 1: Understanding the Concepts” on Wednesday, 20 March at 5 p.m. GMT / 12 p.m. ET will share:

• An introduction to ModusToolbox™︎
• Workflow options for supported IDEs
• How to integrate and manage middleware
• Overviews of API functions available for PSoC microcontrollers

The second webinar in the series, “ModusToolbox™︎ Workshop 2: Getting Started Using CAPSENSE™︎ Capacitive Touch” on Wednesday, 3 April at 5 p.m. GMT / 12 p.m. ET will explore:

• Creation of a ModusToolbox™︎ application
• Integration of CAPSENSE middleware
• Leveraging the CAPSENSE Tuner application to visualize touch performance

The third webinar in the series, “ModusToolbox™︎ Workshop 3: Connecting using Wi-Fi and MQTT” on Wednesday, 17 April at 5 p.m. GMT / 12 p.m. ET will delve into:

• Available ModusToolbox™︎ connectivity examples projects
• Connecting the development board to Wi-Fi
• Leveraging a local MQTT broker to publish and subscribe to messages
• Connecting the application to AWS

The fourth and final webinar of the series, “ModusToolbox™︎ Workshop 4: Porting an Application to Custom Hardware” on Thursday, 2 May 2 at 5 p.m. GMT / 12 p.m. ET will highlight:

• The concept of a ModusToolbox™︎ BSP
• Creation of a custom BSP based on a hardware schematic
• Moving the existing application to the custom hardware

The series will leverage the CY8CPROTO-062-4343W development kit featuring the PSoCTm 62 microcontroller.  Participants desiring to follow along can order the board, however, having a kit is not required to benefit from this workshop.

Participants can test their knowledge on a short quiz and earn a certificate upon completion. The quiz will also be available for those who watch the webinar recordings available On Demand.

To learn more and register for the webinar series, please visit element14 Community.

The nomination of the BAUMER PAD20 ‘Bubble Sensor’ for the 2024 Pump Industry Awards once again recognises the contributions and abilities of sensor specialists Baumer to push the limits of sensor technology. The innovative PAD20 sensor has been shortlisted for the international awards in two categories; ‘Product of the Year’ and ‘Environmental contribution of the Year’.

The PAD20 has been developed as a ‘smart’ sensor which helps to protect pumps from running dry whilst also helping to ensure maximum system performance and optimum use of resources. A key feature of the sensor is its ability to detect even the tiniest gas bubbles in liquids which helps system engineers in preventing downtime due to pump malfunction caused by unwanted gas inclusions.

However, the PAD20 sensor is not only good at protecting pumps as reliable detection of gas bubbles also optimises the energy efficiency of cooling and heating systems in industrial applications. The sensor has the ability to measure air in all types of liquids regardless of whether liquids are pasty or viscous, reliably and fast. Another good example is where the sensor has helped a major dairy manufacturer solve the decades old problem of containers not being fully emptied.

In summary, PAD20 sensors are an effective, robust solution for detecting air and gas bubbles in any liquid or viscous media such as fruit preparations, cooling agents (DC>1.5) and particularly in harsh ambient conditions. Switching outputs are individually adjustable with IO-Link (2) for definition of switching range, or two-stage alarms (early warning) and they provide optional multi-colour process visualisation through 360º of switching state.

More at: https://www.baumer.com/de/en/pump-industry-award-2024-baumer-bubble-sensor-pad20-named-finalist/n/news-industry-award-nomination

Pulsiv Limited, the Cambridge (UK) innovator of power electronics technology, is joining forces with global electronics distributor & supply-chain expert, Astute Group to co-exhibit at Europe’s foremost power electronics exhibition & conference, PCIM Europe. Following the recent expansion of their distribution agreement, this collaboration demonstrates a firm and strategic commitment by both companies at what is arguably the most important European event for the power electronics sector.

Nick Theodoris, Director of Global Sales & Distribution at Pulsiv comments: “I’m delighted that Pulsiv and Astute will collaborate at PCIM Europe 2024. It enables us to have a more prominent presence at such a key industry event, while showcasing our ground-breaking power electronics technology alongside a respected name in franchised distribution. As we launch our world-leading USB-C reference designs and finished modules, we recognise the value partners bring in helping us gain maximum market exposure and drive sales globally. We continue to expand our strategic alignment with Astute and look forward to what promises to be a very exciting and lucrative event.”

Mark Shanley, Sales & Marketing Director at Astute Group said: “Astute is a growing force in European electronics distribution, so we’re excited about this opportunity to showcase our expanded partnership with Pulsiv at PCIM Europe 2024. This collaboration underscores the strength of our commitment to bringing innovative, energy saving power electronics to the European market. We’re anticipating a highly successful show.”