Circuit Cellar's ongoing mission is to provide important information to help you make smart choices with your engineering projects, from prototype to production.
Your feedback is always welcome. - Jeff Child (JChild@circuitcellar.com)
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| Tool Simplifies STM32 MCU Programming and Protects Firmware IP
STMicroelectronics has released the latest version of the STM32CubeProgrammer software tool for STM32 microcontroller (MCU) and microprocessor (MPU) users. STM32Cube- Programmer lets users program their devices through any convenient connection, choosing from the MCU's JTAG or single-wire debug (SWD) pins, a UART, or USB, SPI, I2C or CAN interfaces. The new multi-OS software replaces several tools including ST Visual Programmer (STVP), DFuSe USB Device Firmware Upgrade programmer, Windows-only STM32 Flash loader and software utilities for use with ST-Link. It is designed to deliver maximum flexibility with the benefits of a consistent unified environment. From now on, new STM32 products will be supported only by STM32CubeProgrammer, says ST. Drive World Launches in Silicon Valley Aug 27-29, Santa Clara Convention Center
This summer, Drive World Conference & Expo launches in Silicon Valley with North America's largest embedded systems event, Embedded Systems Conference (ESC). The inaugural three-day showcase brings together the brightest minds across the automotive electronics and embedded systems industries who are looking to shape the technology of tomorrow. Drive World is a must-attend event for electrical and mechanical engineers looking to grow in the automotive intelligence and advanced mobility industries. Combined with ESC, which celebrates 30 years in 2019, the two-in-one event will provide attendees with industry-critical education in the heart of electronics innovation: Silicon Valley!
MCU Family Adds EtherCAT, Ethernet and CAN FD Capabilities
Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced new communications capabilities on its C2000 MCUs. C2000 F2838x 32-bit MCUs enable designers to use a single chip to implement connectivity, including EtherCAT, Ethernet and Controller Area Network with Flexible Data Rate (CAN FD), in AC servo drives and other industrial systems. Systems with communication interfaces often require an external application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or dedicated host control microprocessor, which limits the flexibility of the design architecture, adds complexity and takes up space on the board. The new C2000 F2838x MCUs do not require an external ASIC, therefore reducing overall solution size and bill of materials.
Avoid Reinventing the Wheel on Industrial Designs
Software updates are easy to roll out, but hardware upgrades on custom designs often require a major investment of time and money. A modular approach can speed up this process. In this article, congatec's Dan Demers explains how.
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NXP and Microsoft Team Up for Energy-Efficient Edge Processor
NXP Semiconductors has announced a collaboration with Microsoft to deliver a new Microsoft Azure Sphere-certified crossover applications processor, as an extension to NXP's i.MX 8 high-performance applications processor series. The collaboration's goal is to create a secure, ultra-efficient, intelligent  embedded processor for edge nodes that seamlessly runs Azure Sphere's security platform while also providing multi-core heterogeneous computing, rich graphics experience and low-power audio processing capabilities. Limited sampling of the product is planned to begin in Q4 2020. Azure Sphere security platform is designed to create secure connected devices. As Azure Sphere-certified, this new processor will include the Microsoft Pluton security sub-system, run the Azure Sphere OS and connect to the Azure Sphere Security Service that guards every Azure Sphere device by renewing security, identifying emerging threats and brokering trust between device and cloud.
Win a Free CD with a Year's Worth of Circuit Cellar Content! This week's newsletter raffle is for a 2018 archive CD of Circuit Cellar magazine. Enter the drawing using the link below. The CD contains PDFs for 12 issues and the associated article code files. A $40 value! Drawing ends at midnight this coming Friday.
And congratulations to last week's raffle winner, Troy P., who won a 1 year subscription to Circuit Cellar. Thanks to all who participated! |
Submit Your Technical Article to Circuit Cellar Magazine
 Circuit Cellar magazine is always looking for top-notch technical articles that help readers better understand embedded electronics technology in action. Professional engineers, academics, students and serious electronics enthusiasts are encouraged to submit articles and proposals. Whether its a project-based article, an article about a technology trend, or an analysis of a technical issue or challenge, Circuit Cellar is looking for insightful, detailed articles that help its readers do their jobs as embedded system designers. If you have an article or an article proposal, let us know! Our article submissions page provides you with our requirements and guidelines. Controllers Ease EMI Qualification of Automotive Touchscreens
Three new maXTouch touchscreen controllers and optimization services are now available from Microchip Technology to address electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) challenges faced by developers of automotive touchscreens. The TD family of touch controllers features a new differential mutual signal acquisition method that significantly increases the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). This allows the use of very thick glass or plastic cover lenses and multi-finger thick gloved touch support up to the equivalence of 4.5 mm polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).  The MXT1067TD, MXT1189TD and MXT1665TD devices add several variants that are cost optimized for nine- to 13-inch automotive touchscreens to Microchip's portfolio and are complemented by the recently-introduced MXT449TD, MXT641TD, MXT2113TD and MXT2912TD devices supporting up to 20-inch touchscreens. Each device addresses aspects of the increasing demand for functional safety features and is designed in accordance with the Automotive SPICE Level 3 capability and ISO 26262 Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) B requirements. CONTINUE READING
Processing-In-Memory Technology Targets Next-Gen AI Chips
Renesas Electronics announced it has developed an AI accelerator that performs CNN (convolutional neural network) processing at high speeds and low power to move towards the next generation of Renesas embedded AI (e-AI), which will accelerate increased intelligence of endpoint devices. A Renesas test chip featuring this accelerator has achieved the power efficiency of 8.8 TOPS/W, which the company claims is the industry's highest class of power efficiency. The Renesas accelerator is based on the processing-in-memory (PIM) architecture, an increasingly popular approach for AI technology, in which multiply-and-accumulate operations are performed in the memory circuit as data is read out from that memory. 
To create the new AI accelerator, Renesas developed three technologies. The first is a ternary-valued (-1, 0, 1) SRAM structure PIM technology that can perform large-scale CNN computations. The second is an SRAM circuit to be applied with comparators that can read out memory data at low power. The third is a technology that prevents calculation errors due to process variations in the manufacturing. CONTINUE READING
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