Reza Kazerounian Senior VP and GM of the Microcontroller Business Unit at Atmel

How Atmel’s MCUs are enabling the new generation

of connected devices

CONNECTED:

BeagleBone Overview

New Voice Recognition Technology

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Reza KazerounianSenior VP & GM of Microcontroller

Business Unit for AtmelA conversation about how the company plans to

be a big player in the burgeoning Internet of Things.

10

Featured ProductsThis week’s latest products from EEWeb.

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Conexant's New Voice Processing Solutions

This far-field voice processing solution promises clear voice communication in situations where

traditional near-voice solutions have failed.

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The Challenge of University-Based Embedded

Systems CoursesHow finding the right balance of preliminary information can help streamline the learning process for all types of engineering students.

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The Tiny, but Mighty, BeagleBone Black

Why the overshadowed BeagleBone board is actually a powerful alternative to the Raspberry Pi.

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5-bit I2C EEPROM DIP SwitchThe primary function of the 4-bit 2-to-1 I²C multiplexer is to select either a 4-bit input or data from a non-volatile register and drive this value onto the output pins. One additional non-multiplexed register output is also provided. The non-multiplexed output is latched to prevent output value changes during I²C writes to the non-volatile register. A write protect input is provided to enable/disable the ability to write to the non-volatile register. An “override” input feature forces all outputs to logic 0...Read More

BCD to 7-Segment LatchThe HEF4543B is a BCD to 7-segment latch/decoder/driver for liquid crys-tal and LED displays. It has four address inputs (D0 to D3), an active LOW latch enable input (LE), an active HIGH blanking input (BL), an active HIGH phase input (PH) and seven buffered segment outputs (Qa to Qg). The circuit provides the function of a 4-bit storage latch and an 8-4-2-1 BCD to 7-segment decoder/driver. It can invert the logic levels of the output combination. The phase (PH), blanking (BL) and latch enable (LE) inputs are used to reverse the function table phase, blank the display and store a BCD code, respectively...Read More

Intelligent Power Device Pre-DriverThe R2A25107KFP device is an intelligent power device to pre-drive the FET inverter of a 3-phase blushless motor. This device contains three sets of pre-driver that are applicable to both 12-V and 24-V battery systems. This IC also contains a step down converter, charge pump circuit for the power supply of high-side MOSFET gate driver, 5 V series regulator, watchdog timer and protection circuits for thermal shutdown (TSD) and over-current detection. The device has a wide operating voltage range: 7 V to 36 V (VBAT, VBAT2) and an on-chip 3-phase pre-driver circuit...Read More

12-bit µP-Compatible CMOS DACThe MX7542 is a CMOS 12-Bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) which directly interfaces to both 8-bit and 4-bit microprocessors. Input data is loaded as three 4-bit bytes, and it then transferred to an internal 12-bit DAC register. Data load and transfer interface timing is similar to that of a static RAM write cycle. A Clear input is also provided which resets the DAC register to all zeros. This can be used to initialize the device on power up or during software calibration routines. Low power consumption, +5V opera-tion, and multiplying capability make the MX7542 suitable for numerous high precision processor controlled DAC applications...Read More

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AC Controller & 3-Phase Power RectifierIXYS announced the integration of more power into the popular SOT-227B/Minibloc package family. With the low profile configuration and robust ter-minals for higher current conduction, these products are suitable for higher power applications that exceed the capabilities of through the hole “TO” type discrete packages, like the TO-247 and TO-264. IXYS has integrated a complete AC controller of 110 A/1 200 V – the CLA110MB1200NA, providing a one phase solution for an AC soft start or power control unit...Read More

1 Mbit FRAM with I2C InterfaceFujitsu Semiconductor announced the developed of a new FRAM product, the MB85RC1MT, with 1 Mbit of memory, the highest memory density of the company’s products with an I2C serial interface. The new product is avail-able in sample quantities starting today. The new product is guaranteed for up to 10 trillion read/write cycles, and is optimum for use in applications requiring frequent rewriting of the data, such as real-time data logging for factory-automation, metering , and industrial equipment. Now with the broad range of lineup for both the I2C and SPI serial interface products, Fujitsu Semiconductor can offer its customers non-volatile memory products that best fit their requirements...Read More

WD1 (960H)/D1 Compatible Video DecoderThe TW2965 is a low power NTSC/PAL video decoder chip that is designed for video surveillance applications. It consumes very low power in a typical composite input application. The available power down mode further re-duces the power consumption. It uses the 1.0V for digital supply voltage and 3.3V for I/O and analog power. A single 27MHz crystal is all that is needed to decode all analog video standards. The video decoder decodes the base-band analog CVBS into digital 8-bit 4:2:2 YCbCr for output. The advanced synchronization processing circuitry can produce stable pictures for non-standard signal as well as weak signal...Read More

Ultra-Compact Plug-and-Play Driver2SP0115T is a very low-cost, ultra-compact driver series for 17mm as EconoD-ual IGBT modules. As a member CONCEPT’s plug-and-play driver family, it satisfies industry’s requirements for optimized electrical performance and noise immunity. The highly integrated SCALE-2 chipset reduces the compo-nent count by 80% compared to conventional solutions, thus significantly in-creasing reliability and reducing cost. The embedded paralleling capability allows simple inverter design for higher power ratings. Specifically adapted drivers are available for all module types...Read More

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RapidIO 20 Gbps InterconnectIDT announced that its 20 Gbps RapidIO interconnect devices are used in Prodrive Technology’s motherboards based on the RapidIO Trade Associa-tion’s (RTA’s) data center standard specification that was released in the fourth-quarter of 2013. IDT’s RapidIO switch products offer 100 ns latency, energy efficiency, and multi-processor scalability – providing breakthrough performance in data center and supercomputing analytics applications. IDT’s 20 Gbps per port RapidIO switches and bridges serve as the on-board and inter-board interconnect for Data Center Compute and Networking (DCCN) motherboards developed by Prodrive...Read More

Analog Front Ends for Smart MetersMicrochip Technology Inc. announced its next-generation family of ener-gy-measurement Analog Front Ends (AFEs) with industry-leading accuracy. The MCP3913 and MCP3914 integrate six and eight 24-bit, delta-sigma Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs), respectively, with 94.5 dB SINAD, -106.5 dB, THD and 112 dB SFDR for high-accuracy signal acquisition and higher-performing end products. The MCP3914’s two extra ADCs enable the monitoring of more sensors with one chip, lowering cost and size. These AFEs also feature a CRC-16 checksum and register-map lock for increased robustness...Read More

Nucleo Development BoardsThe new STMicroelectronics Nucleo development boards available from Mouser Electronics support development and evaluation of ST’s 32-bit STM32 microcontrollers. These new boards provide many advanced fea-tures not found in other microcontroller development ecosystems. Besides the usual assortment of push buttons, LEDs, and a USB debug interface, Nucleo boards feature two unique sets of expansion headers. The first set of expansion headers sit on the outside edges of the board, and are standard headers on all Nucleo boards...Read More

Integrated DC Motor Controller ICThe MLX80153 is the next generation of the 80151 OTP (One Time Program-mable) Half Bridge Motor Controller, offering more program and RAM memory. Like the previous generation MLX80151, the focus applications are PWM controlled DC Engine cooling fans, HVAC blowers and fuel pumps. Additionally the MLX80153’s two high side drivers with individual PWM con-trol are able to individually control dual engine cooling fans with separate power control and partial stall detection...Read More

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32-bit Low Power Stereo CodecThe AK4954A is a low power consumption 32-bit stereo CODEC with a microphone, a headphone and a speaker amplifiers. The input circuits include a microphone amplifier and an ALC (Automatic Level Control) circuit, and the output circuits include a cap-less headphone amplifier and a speaker amplifier. It is suitable for portable application with recording/playback function. The integrated charge pump circuit generates a nega-tive voltage and removes the output AC coupling capacitors. The speaker amplifier has a wide operating voltage range, which is from 0.9 V to 5.5 V, enabling a direct drive to batteries...Read More

Low Noise Linear Hall Effect SensorNew applications for linear output Hall-effect devices such as displace-ment, angular position and current measurement require high accuracy in conjunction with small package size. The A1324, A1325, and A1326 linear Hall-effect sensor ICs are designed specifically to achieve both goals. This temperature-stable device is available in a miniature surface mount pack-age (SOT23W) and an ultra-mini through-hole single in-line package. These ratiometric Hall effect sensor ICs provide a voltage output that is propor-tional to the applied magnetic field...Read More

Enhanced Digital Audio InterfaceThe EP7311 is designed for low power operation. Its core operates at only 2.5 V, while its I/O has an operation range of 2.5 V – 3.3 V. The device has three basic power states operating, idle and standby. One of its notable features is MaverickKey unique IDs. These are factory programmed IDs in response to the growing concern over secure web content and com-merce. With Internet security playing an important role in the delivery of digital media such as books or music, traditional software methods are quickly becoming unreliable...Read More

Ultra-Low Ohmic Chip ResistorsUltra-low ohmic chip resistors for current detection are specialized in low resistance employing metal resistive element tolerant to high current and uniquely designed trimingless to attain precise resistance for accurate cur-rent detection and high-current switching. The chips have improved detec-tion accuracy with their trimming-less structure. This unique chip structure minimizes thermal stress during temperature cycling, resulting in a greater reliability...Read More

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12-bit Resolution ADCThe DATEL Business Unit of Murata Power Solutions announces the intro-duction of the ADC-85 series of Analog-to-Digital converters which are 12-bit, 8µs conversion time ADCs housed in a hermetically sealed 32-pin side-brazed DDIP or gull-wing SMT ceramic package. Each unit features guaranteed ½ LSB of linearity and is 100 percent tested for performance across one of three specified temperature ranges: 0 to +70°C, 40 to +100°C and -55 to +125°C. The ADC-85 has five analog input ranges and offers parallel and serial digital outputs. It can be short-cycled to give faster conversions in lower-resolution ap-plications...Read More

Midgard-Based ARM Mali-T678 GPUThe ARM® Mali™-T678 GPU is based on the Midgard architecture and builds on proven technology leadership. Mali-T678 is the GPU of choice for use in the next generation of market-leading devices, optimized to bring breathtaking graphical displays to consumer applications such as 3D graphics, visual computing, augmented reality, procedural texture generation and voice recognition. The ARM Mali-T678 GPU supports multiple Compute APIs, including Khronos® OpenCL™ Full Profile,Google Renderscript compute and Microsoft DirectCompute. It provides native hardware support for 64-bit scalar and vector, integer and floating-point data types...Read More

1500W True Sine Wave DC-AC InverterAstrodyne introduces its first line of Alternative Energy products, the TS-1000 and TN/TS-1500 Series (1000 and 1500 Watts, respectively) of DC/AC inverters. Capable of providing true sine wave outputs (THD <3%) for many common applications, this Series is particularly suited for a broad array of applications including home appliances, power tools, office and portable equipment as well as on vehicles and yachts These inverters accept wide DC inputs and deliver up to 240VAC out-puts at up to 92% efficiency. The feature-rich Series includes a power ON/OFF switch, thermostatically controlled cooling fan, Ground Fault Circuit Interruption (on some models) as well as a myriad of input and output protections...Read More

Integrated SPS Module with High Power DensityHigh efficiency and power density are critical factors that designers are challenged to provide within the shrinking available board space in next-generation server and telecom system power delivery applications. To meet this challenge, Fairchild Semiconductor developed the smart power stage (SPS) module family – a next-generation, ultra-compact, integrated MOSFET plus driver power stage solution. This family leverages Fairchild’s DrMOS expertise to deliver high efficiency...Read More

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Single-Board Computing SolutionsDigi-Key Corporation has announced a global distribution agreement with American Portwell, an industry leader in embedded computing and a Premier member of the Intel® Intelligent Systems Alliance. Ameri-can Portwell Technology, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Portwell, Inc., and is committed to high standards and engineering excellence. American Portwell provides both off-the-shelf and versatile custom so-lutions for applications in the medical equipment, factory automation, retail automation, semiconductor equipment, financial automation, mission critical and network security markets...Read More

Toughened Heat Curing EpoxyMaster Bond Supreme 3HT-80 is a one component epoxy that cures very rapidly at lower temperatures. It features high shear and high peel strength along with superior adhesion to dissimilar substrates. This tough-ened adhesive/sealant also possesses outstanding thermal cycling capabilities. As a one component system, Master Bond Supreme 3HT-80 cures with heat at a minimal curing temperature of 170-175°F—well below the 250-300°F typically required by one part epoxies. At 175°F, Supreme 3HT-80 will cure in 30 minutes and at 250°F, it will cure in 10 minutes. Optimal physical properties are obtained after a 30 minute cure at 250°F...Read More

Miniature Coupled Power InductorsCoilcraft’s new compact PFD3215 Series coupled chip power inductors provide high efficiency and excellent current handling in a rugged, low-cost part. The dual-wound PFD3215 features a 1:1 turns ratio and is designed for use in a variety of circuits including flyback, multi-output buck and SEPIC. These versatile inductors can also be used as two single inductors connected in series or parallel, as a wideband trans-former or as a common mode choke. Measuring just 3.2mm x 2.3mm x 1.5mm, they are an ideal choice when board space is limited and a low profile is desired. Typical applications include tablets and other battery-operated mobile devices requiring precise voltage regulation, efficient charging, and maximum operating time...Read More

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Conexant Ushers in a New Generation of Voice Processing Solutions

When it comes to smart electronics, consumer expectations are at an all-time high. But when it comes to devices smart enough to recognize and respond to voice commands in a real world environment, such devices have failed to evolve—until now. In a world colored with noises and sounds, creating a device that can accurately and quickly interpret human commands has proved to be a big challenge. Conexant’s latest far-field voice processing solution, however, mitigates the effects of these challenges and promises clear voice communication and accurate speech control in situations where traditional near-voice processing solutions have failed.

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Conexant Ushers in a New Generation of Voice Processing Solutions

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The Next Generation of Speech Recognition

Last January, at the 2014 International Con-sumer Electronics Show (CES), Conexant Sys-tems Inc. showcased its latest AudioSmart development. With their Third Generation Voice Input Processor solution for Smart TVs, Windows-based PCs and laptops, and An-droid-based smartphones, Conexant ush-ered in the long-awaited promise of seamless speech control and communication.

Unlike existing voice processing solutions that are optimized for phones held within a few centimeters of the user’s mouth (near-field conditions), Conexant’s technology can perform in the most challenging far-field environments. The CX2092x far-field voice input processor system-on-chip (SoC) combines Far-Field Voice (FFV) with Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) technology to deliver precise voice control and superior speech recognition hit rates up to four meters away.

With highly accurate far-field speech recognition, users are no longer tied to a specific set of commands that the end device can understand, but instead are free to use words and phrases of their choosing to ensure a much smarter audio experience. LG has embraced Conexant’s latest developments and has announced its plan to utilize the CX2092x in its 2014 Smart TV lineup. “Conexant takes a very noisy signal, processes it, and provides a very clean signal for speech recognition engines,” Saleel Awsare, Vice President and General Manager of Conexant, told EEWeb. “Therefore, when a speech recognition engine takes information, for example, if one says, ‘I’d like to see a Tom Cruise movie,’ it’ll be able to understand what one is saying.”

The Magic Behind the CX2092x

Up until now, turning noisy signals into intelligible inputs required enormous computational power coupled with four or more microphones. In terms of cost and

Unlike existing voice processing solutions that are optimized for phones held within a few centimeters of the user’s mouth, Conexant’s technology can perform in the most challenging far-field environments.

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space, quality voice recognition systems were not a viable option for tablet computers and other devices. But by combining inputs from two microphones with sophisticated signal processing techniques, the CX2092x can intelligently filter extraneous noises in the environment and focus on the dominant voice in the vicinity of the device without significant compromise to the cost and size. “The device comes in a 7x7 60-QFN low-cost package, with 2 mics for noise suppression,” Awsare explained, “with 747 Kb Internal RAM, and a dual-core processor, which runs at around 200MHz.” In addition to these specs, Conexant included a very high-fidelity ADC on the system package to capture audio signals. “The chip is an ADC plus our DSP engine, and that drives a USB interface that connects to the SoC in the TV,” Awsare said.

Once the input processor has received the signal and performed its magic, the clean signal is sent downstream to proprietary speech-processing algorithms for interpretation. “In addition to the Silicon,

Saleel AwsareVice President and General Manager of Conexant

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we provide our own algorithms,” Awsare said. “It is a proprietary noise suppression algorithm that is based on a blind source separation technique, which is very critical. It makes a spatial representation of speech and noise sources and reduces stationary and semi non-stationary noise.” Since speech can be at any angle to the microphone, and the noise can be at any angle relative to the speech, the more dominant speaker is going to take over. With this in mind, Conexant developed a unique solution than what is currently available on the market.

The CX2092x promises to unleash the full potential of Smart TVs by enabling advanced control and search that performs more efficiently than traditional push button remote controls. The low-power, small footprint speech recognition engine running on the chip can always be listening for a wake-up voice command while the TV is powered off. Because the always-listening mode operates

in an ultra low-power state, TVs that utilize the CX2092x meet the worldwide energy standards for standby power. “In Europe, they have very high standards for low power, and we meet that,” Awsare explained. “We use our solution to enable turning on the TV through voice. Our chip is active in the ‘always-listening’ mode even while the TV is ‘off,’ so that is why it is a low-power product.”

Applications

Conexant’s chip solution for Smart TVs and appliances is already in production and available now. But Awsare envisions a host of other applications where quality voice capture is important and Conexant’s most recent development only marks the beginning; “Take, for example, the Google Glass. There is no keyboard or remote control attached to it; you just talk to it. Samsung Smart Watches is also another application. In terms of future trends, I think it is going to be motion and audio for it to be user-friendly. If we cannot bring it that way, then there is no other way. In order for it to work, it has to be an intelligible audio.” What the CX2092x does is undergo pre-processing, meaning it cleans up the signal before it is processed. So in this case, the speech recognition engine understands what you are telling it. If the user is on Skype, FaceTime, or whatever app they may have, they can hear much better with it. “Your voice will have a clearer quality while sitting,” Awsare said, “even if you are on the phone within a noisy environment, you will still be heard clearly because it improves the sound quality.”

Conexant’s latest development is a signifi-cant milestone for speech recognition tech-nology. As consumers’ insatiable demand for smarter electronics continues, other vendors will be pressed to follow LG’s lead, and ultimately usher in a new era of voice-controlled things. ■

The CX2092x promises to unleash the full potential of Smart TVs by enabling advanced control and search that performs more efficiently than traditional push button remote controls.

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Online Circuit Simulator

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When you think of single board computers, the Raspberry

Pi immediately comes to mind. This little board is capable

of running a slew of useful programs for use in embedded

systems, entertainment systems, and learning functions.

With an ARM11 proWith an ARM11 processor running at 700 MHz, it can

power through many useful programs and can even use

operating systems. Yes, Raspberry Pis are powerful

microchips, but what about the other single-board

computers available?

The Tiny,but Mighty,BeagleBone Black

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dad

When you think of single board computers, the Raspberry

Pi immediately comes to mind. This little board is capable

of running a slew of useful programs for use in embedded

systems, entertainment systems, and learning functions.

With an ARM11 proWith an ARM11 processor running at 700 MHz, it can

power through many useful programs and can even use

operating systems. Yes, Raspberry Pis are powerful

microchips, but what about the other single-board

computers available?

The Tiny,but Mighty,BeagleBone Black

FEATURED ARTICLE

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The single board computer world is actually populated with 35+ different types of boards that can be used like a Raspberry Pi. Some of them are much more powerful in processing power than the Raspberry Pi such as the ODROID which has a 4x ARM Cortex-A9 processor ranging from 1.4 GHz to 1.7 GHz. Some have different features compared to the Pi such as Flash Memory, more USB ports, and wireless communication peripherals. But one board that is giving the Pi a run for it’s money is the BeagleBoard, or more specifically the BeagleBoard’s little brother, the BeagleBone Black.

With a price range of $45 The BeagleBone Black has a AM335x 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 2 GB 8-bit eMMC on-board flash storage, and two 46-pin expansion headers giving it a unique take on a learning-styled single board computer. With these expansion headers, less complex circuit boards called capes can be installed to provide functionality that the original BeagleBone black cannot provide. Some of the available capes include a weather cape, an LCD cape, and an audio cape. Even if a user has no interest in using a cape, the BeagleBone can still be a standalone computer similar to the general use of a Raspberry Pi. Because of these differences, especially the inclusion of the expansion headers, helps the BeagleBone Black do things that the Raspberry Pi cannot.

With a price range of $45 The BeagleBone Black has a AM335x 1GHz ARM Cortex-A8

processor, 2 GB 8-bit eMMC on-board flash storage, and two 46-pin expansion

headers giving it a unique take on a learning-styled single board computer.

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Image source: www.makertronic.com

That is why the BeagleBone Black can be used in some real-life and computational intensive applications. One such application involves UAV’s and image capturing. The BeagleBone Black does not have a camera on the board out of the box, but with the two 46-pin expansion headers, a camera cape can be installed. The hardware that is installed on this cape is a 3.1 MP low power camera.

The camera cape only uses forty of the eighty-six pins available. Leaving plenty of room for expansion of other capes such as the LCD-7 cape or the weather cape. With this camera cape installed, the BeagleBone Black is now a small form-factored camera. This can be used in many different ways such as a video camera, a webcam, or a security camera. But, in even more intensive situations this camera can be used in UAVs.

Camera Cape

With the camera cape installed, the BeagleBone Black

is now a small form-factored,

functioning camera.

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In this scenario, the camera will be required to take an image in the air whenever a pulse is sent to the board. The UAVs operating system will be programmed to send pulses in pre-determined time intervals in order to capture an image of important locations, relative to the user. These images can then be stored in an appropriate location and modified for the user’s own purposes. To emulate such a scenario without the use of UAVs and expansive, complex microsystems, the BeagleBone Black can be decked out with a camera cape and a pushbutton. The camera cape has also been fitted to extend the two 46-pin expansion headers. Although the headers have been expanded, not all 92 pins are available. Be careful when using some of these pins as using the wrong pin can actually harm your setup. Using one of the General Purpose IO (GPIO) pins, an electrical pushbutton can be installed.

This setup can be used to send simulated pulses to the BeagleBone Black. These pulses will be received and through a webcam application, and images can be recorded. For small testing purposes, the user can now write a program that receives these pushbutton inputs and automatically utilizes the camera

application to take and store images in a specified location. Now, all the user has to do is install this BeagleBone setup into a UAV, or even a smaller toy flying apparatus. Send the system flying in the air and simulate the push button input to start taking pictures of your house, your street or anything else you would like to view from the sky!

Because of the ability to diversify your BeagleBone, even if you are not in a position to own a UAV, this setup can be used in many other applications. In the home, the BeagleBone Black Camera Cape setup can be used as a security monitoring system. Order a proximity sensor and write a program that takes a snapshot whenever an object moves across the sensor’s path. With this setup the user can see what types of objects or living beings are moving around in their home when they are not present. If the user wanted to create their own portable video camera, a housing can be constructed around the unit, including the BeagleBone Black, the camera cape, and the pushbutton input. The user can then travel with the BeagleBone Black because of the small form factor and record video wherever they go. The user can also add an LCD-7 cape and indicator lights to get the full experience of a modern video camera.

Since, the BeagleBone Black’s general purpose is to help students of coding, similar to the Raspberry Pi, it isn’t totally decked out for use in many modern UAVs. Being that the camera cape only provides a 3.1 MP camera, it might be difficult to provide expansive, high-definition images that may be required by certain users. But, because of the way the BeagleBone has been developed, it provides a lot of expandability. This allows for modders to install various capes that give the BeagleBone more functionality. Because of this, students of the BeagleBone are able to learn a little about electrical engineering as they are modding their circuit board. For a unique experience in understand circuitry and single board computers, the BeagleBone is a cheap option that is also a lot of fun to play with. ■

With the addition of a proximity sensor and additional programming, the BeagleBone Black Camera Cape setup can be used as a security monitoring system.

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CONNECTED MCUsInterview with Reza KazerounianSenior Vice President and General Manager of the Microcontroller Business Unit at Atmel

►Experts predict there will be up to 50 billion connected devices released in the next few years. While many find this number daunting, innovative companies like Atmel see a huge opportunity. With this huge amount of connected nodes, there needs to be low-power embedded processing to ensure that these devices stay connected. That's where Atmel comes in.

EEWeb spoke with Reza Kazerounian, Senior VP and GM of the Microcontroller Business Unit at Atmel, about how the maker movement is driving the Internet of Things, how the company plans to work with OEMs on IoT applications, and Kazerounian's vision for the future of Atmel's MCU division.

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INTERVIEW

►

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" The IoT market will be worth trillions of dollars to a variety of industries from the consumer to financial, industrial, white goods, and other market segments."

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Let us talk about the Internet of Things. How has Atmel been contributing in the development of this technology?

The Internet of Things (also known as IoT) is a combination of multiple market segments, tens of thousands of OEMs, and hundreds of thousands of products. It is seen by many as the next wave of dramatic market growth for semiconductors. If you look at the different estimates made by market analysts, the IoT market will be worth trillions of dollars to a variety of industries from the consumer to financial, industrial, white goods, and other market segments. Companies that provide cloud-based services, service providers, and semiconductor companies will also benefit from this market. The number of small or new companies that are showcasing connective devices has increased. According to market data, there will be 50 billion connected devices by 2020. These nodes will have characteristics such as low-power embedded processing, a human-machine interface, and connectivity.

Atmel has brought together the most complete portfolio of IoT technologies: ultra-low power microcontrollers, wireless connectivity, touch controllers, touch materials (XSense), sensor management, and security. These key IoT ingredients combined with Atmel’s development environment, culture, and global support infrastructure will enable us to offer the broadest and most comprehensive IoT solutions in the industry. Atmel is a leading supplier in embedded processing. We compete in the low-power technology market segment because many of the near-home devices have been around for many years and have the ability to be connected wirelessly. These devices include

gateways such as routers, access points and more. These are the two ingredients that will align Atmel nicely to the emerging IoT world.

What is the Maker movement and how is it playing into the IoT movement?

The Maker and IoT movements, although similar, are also very different. The Internet of Things is a scenario in which objects, animals, or people are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to automatically transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. IoT has evolved from the convergence of wireless and sensor technologies and the Internet. A ‘thing’ in the IoT can be a person with a heart monitor implant, a farm animal with a biochip transponder, an automobile with built-in sensors to alert the driver when their oil is low, or any other natural or man-made object that can be assigned an IP address and has the ability to transfer data over the Internet. There are a number of potential new applications that will be connected to the Internet, a lot of those ideas are devices that will fuel the IoT. Market analysts have forecasted that 50 percent of the companies that will participate in the IoT connectivity space are yet to be born.

Looking at the industry from that angle makes it easy to realize the importance of the Maker community. The Maker community is becoming very large with easy access to open-source hardware and software. A good example of this is the Arduino board that has given accessibility to anyone, not just engineers, to work on their designs. Many of these upcoming IoT applications may well come out of this Maker community.

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How much of your business is being taken away by the Maker movement?

Though the Maker movement is a growing part of our business, it is not a major part of our revenue. However, the total size of the Maker community is becoming more important. More designers are initially starting with Arduino boards for their prototypes, and these designers will eventually become our customers. The Maker community is continuing to grow and is influencing how designers jump-start their first design to accelerate their prototype development. This trend will potentially increase ROI (return on investment). Atmel is seeing an increase in professional engineers relying on Arduino boards to create initial models for their prototypes. The net impact of the Maker movement is the accelerated development of products which contribute to the overall IoT market growth, and will ultimately benefit Atmel.

The Nest Thermostat is very popular right now. What types of applications is Atmel working on with OEMs to bring to IoT applications to market?

Atmel is engaged with many customers working to bring a variety of IoT applications to market. These customers range from smart metering, to industrial, consumer applications similar to Nest, medical, and white goods for a variety of connected applications. Many

" There are a number of potential new applications that will be connected to the Internet, a lot of those ideas are devices that will fuel the IoT. Market analysts have forecasted that 50 percent of the companies that will participate in the IoT connectivity space are yet to be born."

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A vision of a future "Smart Home"

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INTERVIEW

of these customers have been working with Atmel for years and are in production with our technologies today.

With the dawn of the Internet of Things, these products are being categorized under a broader market—the IoT. An example includes connected thermostats in the home and building automation sectors. Connected thermostats in home and building sectors have been around for a while. However, it’s not until today that applications such as this—the connected thermostat—are made available to the consumer and can be automatically connected to one’s wireless router in their home and available for programming through their smart phones. It took mass adoption of smart tablets, smartphones, and other smart consumer devices to enable more of these ‘connected’ devices to be easily accessible to the Internet and available at a cost-effective price point.

How long has it really been since IoT gained a space in the engineering world?

The separate technologies for IoT have been around for some time, but the requirements to run these technologies together have taken some time to achieve. For example, connecting your smartphone at home to control your lighting is becoming a reality today.

Another important factor for the IoT is wire-less connectivity. These connectivity so-lutions operate on a number of different standards including Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, and others. For IoT applications, it’s impor-tant to adopt the right wireless standard based on the application and consumer requirements. For example, if you want a device that is connected to a wireless network at home and can traffic the data with a high data rate, Wi-Fi is the most vi-able type of technology.

Atmel's SAM D20 MCU

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Atmel's Wireless Solution

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"I consider Atmel an embedded processing

company. We have a broad portfolio of embedded

processing technologies ranging from our low-end

microcontroller to high-end microprocessors."

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For wearable devices, you would need a wireless connection with the lowest power consumption available since many of today’s wearable devices run on batteries—and for such applications, low-power Bluetooth would be the most suitable wireless solution.

While a number of wireless technologies exist today, the main IoT driver is commercialization. A number of embedded processing and connectivity solutions have only come together in the last two to three years. It is the industrial and consumer applications that are driving the demand that will help drive the IoT growth.

What is Atmel currently working on that you are most excited about?

I consider Atmel an embedded processing company. We have a broad portfolio of embedded processing technologies ranging from our low-end microcontroller to high-

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"Atmel is uniquely positioned, and

fully committed to maintaining our leadership position in the

microcontroller industry, and to

do so requires winning in the IoT."

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INTERVIEW

end microprocessors. We also have a diverse portfolio of human interface and connectivity solutions packaged with an integrated software and tools development platform.

For the IoT market, there is a broad range of applications that will require various embedded processing and connectivity requirements that gives companies with large product portfolios, such as Atmel, an advantage. Atmel made a recent investment in our connectivity portfolio over a year ago when we acquired Ozmo Devices, a Wi-Fi connectivity company. Adding to our broad wireless product portfolio, this strategic acquisition helped us enhance our Wi-Fi connectivity solutions, an important part of our strategy for targeting the IoT market.

Atmel also has a broad portfolio of touch technologies, from capacitive touch buttons, sliders and wheels to touchscreens. We are a leading provider of touch technologies and also offer a broad portfolio of embedded processing solutions for sensor hubs and sensing applications. As sensors and sensing nodes become an important part of the IoT ecosystem, our embedded processing solutions can combine input from multiple sensors to provide real-time direction, orientation, and inclination data to bring visibly superior performance to a range of applications including gaming, navigation, augmented reality, and more.

The excitement at Atmel encompasses all of the various activities I just mentioned, as we have developed the broadest portfolio of technologies to serve the IoT explosion.

What is your vision for Atmel Microcontroller group? Where do you see Atmel headed in terms of new microcontroller applications?

We see microcontrollers as an essential building block in every PC, consumer device, industrial machine, home connectivity device, and automobile. Microcontrollers (MCUs) are playing a more important role in the wide range of applications in the market today and to come.

Atmel is a leader in the MCU market and continues to provide a broad portfolio of products. We have the best portfolio of IP and advanced technologies for today’s broad markets. We are investing in low-power technology, wireless connectivity and human-machine interfaces—all the essential ingredients that will help us grow our IoT market share.

Is there anything that you would like to share to our audience?

Atmel recently announced a new family of wireless connectivity solutions coined our SmartConnect family of products. These new products address the IoT consumer and indus-trial market segments with different wireless technologies including ZigBee and Wi-Fi. We are continuing to be one of the strongest embedded suppliers in the market and will continue to invest in technologies that will en-able us to serve a large number of customers.

As the semiconductor industry has transitioned from PCs to mobile, IoT will now rise to become the predominant market. This transition will favor ultra-low power and integration of mi-crocontrollers, wireless connectivity, security, touch technologies, and sensor management products. Atmel is uniquely positioned, and fully committed to maintaining our leadership position in the microcontroller industry, and to do so requires winning in the IoT. ■

To read about Atmel's XSense technology, click the image below:

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In order to understand a field as broad as embedded systems, one must conquer the basics. With the way some courses at the university level are setup, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Computer Science majors can all register for the same course. It also turns out that many graduate level classes can be accessed by undergraduate students. So, finding the right balance of preliminary information can help streamline the learning process for all types of electrical/computer students.

The types of students that enroll in embedded systems are pretty similar. They are mostly engineering students and they usually consist of electrical and computer engineers as well as computer scientists. When looking at the general background of students like electrical engineers, computer engineers, and computer scientists, it is easy to see that their strengths vary. Electrical engineering students have a lot of hardware design experience like constructing a transformer and designing advanced circuits. Computer engineering students are tasked with learning the architecture of computing systems, but dive into software development a lot more than electrical engineers.

Computer scientists are strictly software developers and are interested in science behind computing as well as advancing the practices present in the software world. Keeping this information in mind, figuring out the most important aspects of embedded systems and choosing these elements as starter subjects is all in the task of a professor in this situation.

Because all of the student’s backgrounds are rooted in engineering, choosing some basic building blocks will help lead the students in the right direction towards building and maintaining embedded systems. Curriculum directors have to take a look at embedded systems as a whole. Some questions they might ask include:

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Answers to these questions actually can bring a slew of new questions that must be answered in order to pinpoint the best way to approach as semester. This gives someone who is generating a curriculum even more details to work with. For example, after answering what types of embedded systems there are, the professor might want to focus on medical embedded systems vs. home embedded systems. These options actually determine whether or not the developer choses a Real-Time Operating System or a General Purpose Operating System. Another key question to spawn other questions would the selection of type of data processor. The coding style used is dictated by the selection of a data processor. C and Java files can run on all data processors but a hardware description language (HDL) is needed to program an FPGA and assembly language can be used to program a microcontroller. From all of this, which is the best way to help students learn the fundamentals of embedded systems?

Figure 1: Xilinx Zynq-7000 Architecture

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Some of the main topics that emerge from all of this question asking are using an HDL, programming in C, the need of a development board usually between FPGA or a microcontroller, as well as using peripherals such as VGA, PS/2, and USB to control the development board. Now these topics are chosen because they are the most relevant to developing embedded systems. Using a HDL is very important as it can help ease electrical engineering students into programming and will help the other engineers relate to electrical engineering. Programming in C is a huge tool that should be learned prior to a high level embedded class. But, in many other classes that introduce the topic, most don’t go into serious detail.

Programming embedded systems will force students to understand how the programming structure and the file structure all work with each other. Many embedded systems will not be using a Linux based operating system

and being able to learn and understand such a powerful programming language will benefit the student greatly. In order to actually have an embedded system, it is required that development is done on a computer board of some sort. This choice, however, is not as important as the rest. With the way most computer chips can be programmed, as well as the type of peripherals that can be added, it is just as easy to program an FPGA as it would be to program a microcontroller.

If a microcontroller has been chosen by other classes, then the students should learn how to use an FPGA and vice versa. Along with the choice of development boards, peripherals are somewhat of a non-factor. It is important to understand the aspects that make up input and output devices, but which devices are chosen does not make as much of a difference. In most cases it can be a safe bet to include a visual output and a PS/2 or USB input. This will help the student

Figure 2: Comparison of Microcontroller (left) vs. a FPGA (right)

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program the board as well as see the results on screen. With all of these requirements, it can be difficult to find a board that can satisfy both the teaching needs of professors and the learning needs of students.

Fortunately, for professors and faculty in the university setting, there are a few programs that are available that are pre-defined with the knowledge we are looking for. Several microcontroller and FPGA developers have learning programs that help potential users learn how to use the developer’s microchips. FPGA and microcontroller companies such as Altera, Xilinx, PIC, and Parallax all have created a lesson plan to help new subjects learn how to use the product of their choice. Even Single board computers Raspberry Pi, BeagleBoard, and Omilex have their own getting started pages along with sample projects. Although these training exercises are not as in-depth as the FPGA and microcontroller training systems, they can still help new users develop significant projects.

But, it doesn’t seem reasonable to teach a class without some homework, labs or testing procedures. This eliminates the possibility to use a single board computer as a learning

source. Unless a lesson plan is pre-determined, it would take a decent amount of time to formulate a class centering around a Raspberry Pi or a BeagleBoard. These also leave out important learning features involving HDL’s, certain peripherals, and programming options. It also doesn’t appear that much of the industry builds their products using single board computers. Excluding these options, it seems like an FPGA or microcontroller would be the best platform to build a class around.

Companies like Altera and Microchip (PIC) have “university” or “classroom” exercises that help students learn the fundamentals of embedded systems. With exercises in VHDL, Verilog, and C programming, using IDE’s to program development boards, and ways to utilize peripherals, classes built around FPGA’s and microcontrollers will help students learn the crucial aspects of designing, developing and testing of embedded systems. ■

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