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F U T U R E T E C H N O L O G Y M A G A Z I N E

I S S U E 1 2 0 7

Application Spotlight on

IndustrialAutomation

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Design Note: pages 12-13 Optimum industrial networking with Plastic Optical Fibre (POF)

Technical View: pages 24-27Comparing the latest generations of PoL regulators and design-support tools

Product Matrix: page 15Find your supplier of choice with the industrialautomation product-selection guide

Component Focus: pages 2-12 Cortex-based microcontroller ranges add new entry-level and high-performance options

Application Spotlight: pages 16-22Freescale’s QorIQ®MPUs with trust architecturesupport help factories fight network-borne threats

C O M P O N E N T F O C U S

2 E M A I L I N F O @ M Y- F T M . C O M F O R S A M P L E S A N D D ATA S H E E T S

ARM Cortex-M microcontroller range addsentry-level family for cost-sensitive applications

The most recent expansion to theFreescale Kinetis microcontroller rangeadds the Kinetis L family based on thelatest ARM® Cortex™-M0+ core,presenting a migration path fordevelopers seeking new levels ofperformance with industry-leadingpower efficiency compared to traditional8-bit and 16-bit architectures.

The Kinetis L family has five sub-families. TheKL0x is an entry-level family for highly cost-sensitive applications. The KL1x is a general-purpose family offering rich mixed-signalintegration and compatibility with the KinetisK10 series of MCUs. The KL2x familycomprises USB-enabled devices that arecompatible with the K20 series. For moredemanding applications, the KL3x integrates asegment-LCD controller and is compatiblewith K30 MCUs; while the KL4x is K40compatible and integrates both USB andsegment-LCD support.

The new Kinetis L families are built on thesame 90nm TFS Flash technology as theCortex-M4-based Kinetis K series, and reusethe same IP. This provides system designerswith IP, package and pin compatibility betweenthe two families, creating a broad and readilyscalable portfolio from entry-level 32-bit,8kbyte, 24-pin devices up to highly integrated,feature-rich options with 1Mbyte ofprogramme Flash in 256MAPBGA packages.

The latest MCUs achieve best-in-classdynamic run currents, thanks to their low-power 90nm manufacturing technology. Theysupport an operating-voltage from 1.71V to3.6V with full support for all IP and memoryacross the voltage range. In addition, Freescalehas implemented intelligent IP that enables theMCU to read and store data in ordinary stopmode or very low-power stop mode withoutwaking the CPU. This gives extra flexibility for

designers to minimise overall system powerconsumption across the lifetime of theapplication. These advantages, whichFreescale has engineered into the L family,complement the inherently low cost, lowpower consumption and outstandingCoremark MIPs/mA ratio of the 32-bit Cortex-M0 core compared to other existing 8-bit and16-bit architectures.

Freescale has worked with ARM to enablefast and trouble-free migration from existing 8-bit or 16-bit applications. ARM has optimisedthe instruction set to ensure that the Cortex-

M0+ offers bettercode density thantraditional cores. Atthe same time,Freescale is building acomplete package ofpre-integrated andtested developmentand run-time softwarearound the Kinetis L,to help designers tostart quickly andrealise their productswithin a smallerdevelopment window.

The Kinetis L seriespresents an attractiveand simplifiedmigration path into32-bit development,and will help

designers to gain access to MCUs that willimprove the energy efficiency of their end-product as well as integrating the next level ofconnectivity.

The first Kinetis L families, comprising theKL0x, KL1x & KL2x devices, will be available inSeptember 2012. KL3x and 4x devices will beready for shipping in 2013.

FREESCALE

APPLICATIONS• Sensors and actuators• Low-end motor control• Fire and security systems• Building control• Medical devices• Portable consumer• Electronic ticket control• HVAC systems

FEATURES• 50MHz CPU• 8kbyte to 256kbyte on-chip Flash• 12-bit ADC• Optional DAC• 12 flexible operating modes• 20-pin to100-pin packages

ENERGY MEDICAL LIGHTING INDUSTRY SECURITY AUTOMOTIVE

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Newsin brief

32-bit embedded computing is more accessible than ever before, with the Kinetis-L families

Microchip expands zero-drift op-ampportfolioMicrochip has broadened its portfolio of zero-driftop-amps with the debut of the MCP6V11 and MCP6V31single amplifiers. Operating with a single supplyvoltage as low as 1.6V and a quiescent current as lowas 7.5µA, these ultra-high-performance devices offersome of the industry’s lowest quiescent current for thegiven bandwidth without sacrificing the optimalperformance essential for portable applications in theconsumer, industrial and medical markets. The newdevices are ideally suited to use in portable medicaldevices and industrial applications such as portablesensor-conditioning equipment and instrumentationwhich require low power, smaller form factors andsimplified thermal management.

Avago Technologies reveals best-in-class optocouplersAvago Technologies has introduced a new family of5MBd digital optocouplers that consume less than10mW per channel while handling isolation voltages ofup to 5kV.

The ACPL-M21L/021L/024L/W21L/K24Loptocouplers consume less power than similaralternative devices currently in the market. Avago’snew LED and detector-IC designs are central to theimprovements achieved in power consumption,isolation voltage and Common-Mode Rejection (CMR)performance. The devices require minimum LED drivecurrent of 1.6mA, and the detector-IC, which featuresa CMOS output stage, draws less than 1.1mA. Thedetector IC also contains an optical receiver with built-in Schmitt trigger that provides logic-compatiblewaveforms, eliminating the need for additionalwaveshaping. An internal shield also guarantees CMRof at least 25kV/µs at1000V common-mode voltage.

NXP Semiconductors announces LEDdrivers for ultra low-cost retrofitsNew high-efficiency GreenChip™ driver ICs, from NXPSemiconductors, enable lighting designers to deliverultra low-cost, non-dimmable LED retrofit lamps usingisolated flyback and non-isolated buck-boosttopologies. The SSL21151 and SSL21153, designedfor 5W and 10W LED lamps respectively, enable smallform-factor LED drivers, using primary-side sensing tomaintain good current regulation. They also offerintegrated LED open/short protection, an internal 700VMOSFET, and a circuit enabling start-up directly fromthe rectified mains voltage. By also implementing avalley-fill circuit, the SSL2115x drivers can offer a powerfactor of approximately 0.9.

Murata introduces new 3A and 5A PoLconverters in SIP packagesMurata has announced a new series of miniature non-isolated single output DC/DC converters forembedded Point-of-Load (PoL) applications. The OKXseries comprises four models that provide 3A or 5Aoutputs with either 5V or 12V nominal inputs.Complementing Murata’s existing OKY range ofsurface-mounted PoL converters, the new OKX-T/3and OKX-T/5 converters are housed in a popularspace-saving 5-pin single-in-line package. Together,these two series provide design engineers with achoice of package format to meet a variety of board-space and application requirements.


3V I S I T T H E O N L I N E F T M M A G A Z I N E AT: W W W . M Y- F T M . C O M

Dual-core digital signal controller maximises ARM Cortex-M4signal-processing bandwidth

full advantage of the close links between ARMCortex-M series processor cores to scaledesigns and minimise time to market for newproducts.

APPLICATIONS• Motor control• Embedded audio applications• Power management• Industrial automation• White goods• Electronic metering

FEATURES• Up to 146 GPIOs• 8-channel GPDMA controller• Two 8-channel, 10-bit ADCs

One 10-bit DAC• Motor-control PWM and quadrature-

encoder interface• Four UARTs• Smart-card interface



EVALUATIONBOARDS AT my-boardclub.com/ftm

DETAILSON PAGE

23

NXP SEMICONDUCTORS

Dual N-channel MOSFET packagereduces switch node ringing

The high-efficiency package and optimised MOSFETs deliver idealcharacteristics for synchronous buck converters

The new FDPC8011S from FairchildSemiconductor features twospecialised N-channel MOSFETs in adual package. The integrated designenables layout designers to achievelower circuit inductance and reducedswitch node ringing. The device israted for a maximum voltage of 25V.

The FDPC8011S contains both an N-channel control MOSFET (Q1) and asynchronous SyncFET™ (Q2), both of whichoperate at high efficiency. Q1’s maximum on-resistance at 4.5V, 12A is 7.3mΩ, while Q2’s is2.1mΩ at 4.5V, 24A. The SyncFET (Q2)consists of a Schottky diode in parallel with aPowerTrench MOSFET. The integrated diodeexhibits similar characteristics to a discreteexternal Schottky diode in parallel with aMOSFET.

The switch node has been internally connectedto enable easy placement and routing ofsynchronous buck converters. The device’slow-inductance packaging is responsible forshortening its rise and fall times, and thisresults in low switching losses. The typical rise

time of Q1 is just 2ns, at 13V, 13A; and of Q2the typical rise time is 5ns, while the typical falltime is 4ns, at 13V, 27A.

The reverse-recovery time of MOSFET Q1 at13A is typically 22ns, and of Q2 at 27A is30ns. The reverse recovery charge of Q1 is8nC, and of Q2 is 32nC.

The FDPC8011S is housed in a 3.3mm x3.3mm Power Clip package.

APPLICATIONS• Computing • Communications • General-purpose point-of-load conversion

FEATURES• Zero gate-voltage drain current @ 20V:

Q1: 1µAQ2: 500µA

• Maximum continuous drain current @ 25°C ambient: Q1: 13AQ2: 27A



FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR

The LPC4300 family isthe world’s firstasymmetricaldual-core digitalsignal controllercombining theCortex-M4 andCortex-M0processors. TheCortex-M4 addsDSP extensions to the proven, low-cost32-bit Cortex-M CPU,incorporating single-cycle Multiply-Accumulate(MAC) and Single-Instruction/Multiple-Data(SIMD) techniques, saturating arithmetic, and aFloating-Point Unit (FPU) to support signalprocessing.

The LPC4300 family delivers outstandingperformance and flexibility in digital signalcontrol applications by also integratingversatile peripherals including an innovativestate-configurable timer subsystem comprisinga timer array with a state machine for complexoperations such as event-controlled PWM-waveform generation, ADC synchronisation,and dead-time control. There is also an SPIFlash Interface (SPIFI) that provides aseamless high-speed memory-mapped

connection to virtually all SPI andquad-SPI manufacturers. In

addition, the LPC4300 is thefirst device of its type to

offer serial GPIO, whichprovides the flexibility to

interface to any non-standard serialinterface or to

mimic multiple standard serialinterfaces such as I2S, I2C or TDMfor multi-channel audio.

Additional peripherals available onthe LPC4300 include two USB2.0High-speed controllers including on-

chip High-speed PHY, a 10/100 Ethernetcontroller with hardware-enabled TCP/IP-checksum calculation and a high-resolutioncolour-LCD controller.

The LPC4300 series presents a seamlessupgrade path from NXP’s 180MHz LPC1800Cortex-M3 family, enabling developers to take

NXP Semiconductors’ LPC4300 digitalsignal controllers feature the world’sfastest ARM® Cortex™-M4 processor,running at 204MHz, and allowdevelopers to utilise the full Cortex-M4performance by also integrating aCortex-M0 processor to offload data-movement and I/O tasks.

Highly integrated controller platformsupports rich applications in real time


Vybrid delivers the advantage of software tightly coupled with silicon offeringunprecedented system integration

Using the Freescale Vybrid portfolio,system designers can overcome thechallenges associated with integratingrich HMI support and real-time controlseamlessly within a single system.


The Vybrid controller concept presents aunique, low-power system solution capable ofrunning a high-level operating system such asLinux® and a real-time operating system suchas MQX™ concurrently on the same device.

This enables developers to create richapplications combining high-resolution graphicsand high-speed connectivity with real-timedeterminism. With the added benefits of acommunication API between the higherperformance and real-time domains, and atoolchain that eases debugging of suchsystems, choosing Vybrid dramatically shortenstime to revenue.

Devices in the Vybrid portfolio span entry-level products featuring a single ARM®

Cortex™-A5 applications processor; deviceswith large on-chip SRAM; and highly integratedheterogeneous dual-core solutions that

combine the Cortex-A5 with a Cortex-M4 core for real-time control. Thisdual-core architecture permitssoftware to be segmented so thattasks requiring predictable latenciescan be run on the Cortex-M4 whilecompute-intensive processes areassigned to the Cortex-A5.

The Vybrid family bridges thetraditional gap between single-chipMCU options and the high-end eMPUsolutions. It harnesses IP from bothFreescale’s 32-bit Kinetis Cortex-M4based MCU portfolio and i.MX-basedARM eMPUs. With the introduction ofthe Vybrid family Freescale now offersone of the broadest ARM-based

APPLICATIONS• Home and building automation• Industrial controls• Healthcare systems and medical devices• Gaming systems• Data terminals and Internet appliances• Networked audio systems

FEATURES• Dual 12-bit ADC, 12-bit DAC and

programmable delay block• Four 16-bit FlexTimers, up to 20 channel,

for PWM generation• CRC and TZ (TrustZone) address-space

controllers• Integrated memory: secure RAM, SRAM• NAND Flash controller with ECC• Synchronous Audio Interface (SAI)• DRAM controller supporting DDR3 and

LPDDR2 memories



FREESCALE

Precision shunt-regulator family adds lower-voltage deviceswhich helps to maximise energy efficiency. Inaddition, active output circuitry provides a verysharp turn-on characteristic, allowing thedevices to replace Zener diodes in applicationssuch as on-board regulation, adjustable powersupplies and low-voltage switched-modepower supplies.

NXP SEMICONDUCTORS

APPLICATIONS• Shunt regulators• Precision current limiters• Precision constant-current sinks• Isolated feedback loop for switched-mode

power supplies

FEATURES• 0.1Ω typical output impedance• 4mV typical temperature drift:

-40°C to 125°C• Low output noise• AEC-Q100 qualified (Grade 1)



Reference-voltageTolerance Package

Temperature Range PinningConfiguration0°C to 70°C -40°C to 85°C -40°C to 125°C

1.50%SOT23

TLVH431CDBZR TLVH431IDBZR TLVH431QDBZR NormalTLVH431MQDBZR Mirrored

SOT753 TLVH431QDBVR

1%SOT23

TLVH431ACDBZR TLVH431AIDBZR TLVH431AQDBZR NormalTLVH431AMQDBZR Mirrored

SOT753 TLVH431AQDBVR

0.75%SOT23

TLVH431DQDBZR NormalTLVH431DMQDBZR Mirrored

SOT753 TLVH431DQDBVR

The TLVH431 family joins the existing TL431family, which has a 2.495V reference, andprovides a choice of three different reference-voltage tolerances. Designers can select fromstandard-grade devices of 1.5% tolerance aswell as 1% A-Grade and 0.75% D-Gradedevices. The standard operating-temperaturerange is -40°C to 125°C. Other optionsinclude normal or mirrored pinning in the 3-pinSOT23 package option, and a choice of 0°Cto 70°C or -40°C to 85°C temperature rangein standard and A-grade tolerances. Designerscan also select a 5-pin SOT753 packageoption in each tolerance.

TLVH431 regulators can sink up to 70mAyet have minimum cathode current of 55µA,

NXP Semiconductors TLVH431adjustable precision voltage referenceshave a low reference voltage(VREF) of 1.24V, and canproduce a regulatedoutput between VREFand 18V governedby two externalvoltage-settingresistors.

portfolios covering the spectrum from entry-levelsingle-chip 32-bit MCUs, up to high-performance32-bit eMPUs. This gives designers theassurance that, as a design evolves in thefuture, there will be an option from within theportfolio that offers a migration path toimprove performance and integration.



New gate-driver optocoupler offers high insulationvoltage and high noise immunity

Robust construction throughout the FOD8320 ensures reliableoperation under harsh conditions

Fairchild Semiconductor has introducedthe FOD8320, a gate-driver optocouplerwith a 2.5A output and providing morethan 10mm of creepage and clearancedistance and 0.5mm internal insulationdistance.

The device is particularly well suited to fastswitching of the high-power IGBTs andMOSFETs used in industrial applications suchas solar inverters, Uninterruptible PowerSupplies (UPS) and motor drives. Here, thepower circuit requires a gate-driveroptocoupler capable of handling networksrated at higher than 690V AC and constantDC voltages greater than 1000V. In order toachieve this, a creepage and clearancedistance of 10mm or greater is essential.Similarly, end-products such as harshenvironment inverters also require a widecreepage and clearance distance even in a690V AC network.

The FOD8320 consists of an aluminiumgallium arsenide LED optically coupled to an

IC with a high-speed driver for the push-pullMOSFET output stage. The use of P-channelMOSFETs at the output stage enables anoutput-voltage swing close to the supply rail.

Using Fairchild's Optoplanar co-planarpackaging technology, the device delivers35kV/µs common-mode noise rejection, andeliminates the capacitive charge build-upwhich occurs in commonly used optocouplers.

The FOD8320 is housed in a wide-body 5-pinsmall outline package.

APPLICATIONS• AC and brushless DC motor drives• Industrial inverters• UPS• Induction heating• Isolated IGBT/power MOSFET gate driving

FEATURES• Maximum working insulation voltage: 1414V• Supply voltage range: 15-30V• Fast switching speed over full operating

temperature range• 400ns maximum propagation delay• 100ns maximum pulse width distortion• Under-voltage lockout with hysteresis• Extended industrial temperature range:

-40°C to 100°C




30V N-channel power MOSFETsoffer low conduction losses

The latest-generation technology further enhances both conductionand switching performance

Vishay’s TrenchFET Gen IV family of 30V N-channel power MOSFETs incorporatetechnological improvements in silicon design,wafer processing and device packaging.

Offering a reduction in on-resistance x siliconarea of over 60% compared to previous-generation devices, the Gen IV family is able toachieve very low on-resistance values, downto 1.0mΩ at 10V and an industry-best 1.35mΩat 4.5V.

At the same time, the new structure on whichTrenchFET Gen IV MOSFETs are based enablesthe production of a very high-density designwithout significantly increasing the gate charge,overcoming a problem often associated withhigh cell-count devices.

Devices in the 6.15mm x 5.15mm PowerPAKSO-8 package offer excellent system andthermal efficiency. The PowerPAK 1212-8package offers similar efficiency in a deviceone-third the size.

APPLICATIONS• DC/DC converters• Synchronous rectification• Synchronous buck converters• ORing applications

FEATURES• Low gate-induced voltages help to

prevent shoot-through • RG and UIS tested• On-resistance x gate-charge figures of

merit as low as 56nC-Ω @ 4.5V



VISHAY

Fairchild’s FOD8320: page 5Rohm’s BM6103FV-C: page 6NXP’s IP4294CZ10-TBR: page 7

PARTNERWORKING

Vishay’s SiRA0xDP: page 5Rohm’s BM6103FV-C: page 6NXP’s IP4294CZ10-TBR: page 7

PARTNERWORKING

A new generation of 30V N-channelpower MOSFETs from VishayIntertechnology offers outstandingly lowon-resistance figures and low total gate-charge. The SiRA0xDP and SiSA04DNfamily offers designers of powercircuits the benefits of low conductionlosses and high power efficiency.

Part Number SiRA00DP SiRA02DP SiRA04DP SiSA04DN

VDS (V) 30 30 30 30VDS (V) 20 20 20 20On-resistance(Ω) Max.

VGS = 10V 0.00100 0.00200 0.00215 0.00215VGS = 4.5V 0.00135 0.00270 0.00310 0.00310

QG (nC) VGS = 4.5V 66.0 34.3 22.5 22.5QG (nC) 26.0 13.6 8.6 8.6QG (nC) 8.6 4.1 4.0 4.0Package PowerPAK SO-8 PowerPAK SO-8 PowerPAK SO-8 PowerPAK 1212-8

High-power isolated gate driver integrates extraprotection and safety features



APPLICATIONS• Plasma Display-Panel (PDP) power

modules• Motor drivers• Power supplies and UPS• Industrial and solar-panel inverters• Automotive gate drives and DC/DC

converters

FEATURES• Proprietary coreless-transformer technology• Input-side supply voltage: 4.5V to 5.5V• Output-side positive supply voltage:

12V to 24V• Output-side negative supply voltage:

-12V to 0V• 5A rated output peak current• Active Miller clamping• Desaturation-protection function• Operational temperature range:

-40°C to 125°C• 6.5mm x 8.1mm SSOP-B20W package



ROHM SEMICONDUCTOR

Boost-PFC controller enhances efficiency inall modes including standby

The device implementsON Semiconductor’sCurrent-ControlledFrequency-Foldback(CCFF) method, inwhich the circuitclassically operates inCritical-conductionMode (CrM) when theinductor currentexceeds aprogrammable value.

When the current is below this preset level, theNCP1612 linearly reduces the frequency downto about 20kHz when the current is at null. Inthis way, CCFF maximizes the efficiency atboth nominal and light loads. In particular, thestandby losses are reduced to a minimum.

The NCP1612 also has internal circuitrysimilar to that used in FCCrM controllers,which allows near-unity power factor evenwhen the switching frequency is reduced.

In addition, an extensive suite of integratedprotection featureshelps designers toensure correcthandling of potentialpower-supply faultsor operatingconditions. Theseinclude fast over-voltage protection,bulk under-voltagedetection, over-current limitation,soft-start, brown-out detection, andopen ground-pinfault monitoring. By also providing a

dedicated PFC_OK output, the NCP1612 isparticularly suited for use in the PFC stage ofLLC controllers.

ON SEMICONDUCTOR

APPLICATIONS• AC/DC power adapters• Flat-panel TVs• Lighting ballasts• PC power supplies

FEATURES• On-time modulation• Skip mode near line zero crossing• -500mA/+800mA MOSFET gate-drive

capability• Low start-up power• Line-range detection



Fairchild’s FOD8320: page 5Vishay’s SiRA0xDP: page 5NXP’s IP4294CZ10-TBR: page 7

PARTNERWORKING

ON Semiconductor’s NCP1612 activePFC controller is designed for use as aboost pre-converter in medium-powered offline power supplies, anduses innovative control strategies tokeep the PFC circuitry operating atoptimum efficiency throughout the load range.

The Rohm Semiconductor BM6103FV-Cis a high-power gate driver thatprovides 2500VRMS galvanic isolationbetween input and output circuitry andimplements a number of monitoringand protection functions thatenhance system managementand safety.

The BM6103FV-Cimplements logic andtiming circuitry on theinput side, which isgalvanically isolatedfrom the gate drivercapable of generating asignal of up to 5A peak, at avoltage of up to 24V, to control anexternal power device required for SiCMOSFETs. The driver accepts a minimuminput-pulse width of 180ns, and generates thegate-drive signal within less than 350ns.

Value-added features of the BM6103FV-Cinclude short-circuit detection and thermal-detection, via external pins on the output side.Faults are signalled back across the isolationbarrier to an open-drain Fault-output pin. Thiscan be connected to the host processor toindicate whenever Short-Circuit Protection(SCP), thermal-protection, or Under-VoltageLock-Out (UVLO) is activated. The designercan also control the duration for which the

fault signal is held, since the device hasan extra pin for setting the fault-

output hold time. When aresistor and capacitor are

connected to this pin,the fault output is

turned off when thevoltage at the setting pin

reaches a threshold value.The BM6103FV-C also provides

an output pin for activating the softturn-off function of an external power

device, where available, which can be usedto provide short-circuit protection.



Protection-diode array enhances protectionfor high-speed differential interface standards

0.5pF loading and 0.5mm trace spacing make the IP4294CZ10-TBR ideal for protecting miniaturehigh-speed interconnects

NXP Semiconductors’ IP4294CZ10-TBRprovides high-speed ESD protectionfor two differential channels, andfeatures a unique configuration anddiode structures to provide contact-discharge protection up to ±10kV whileadding only 0.5pF capacitive loadingper channel.

The device is housed in the ultra-small andleadless DFN2510A (XSON10) 10-terminalpackage featuring design-friendly pass-thrurouting. Data connections are positioned toallow matched 0.5mm trace spacing andmatching capacitance is better than 0.05pFbetween signal pairs for optimum precision.With its outline of 1.0mm x 2.5mm thepackage occupies minimal PCB space, whilethe low height of 0.5mm allows use in ultralow-profile enclosures.

The integrated protection diodes utilise aunique snap-back structure to provide

contact-discharge protectionup to ±10kV for downstreamcomponents. This exceedsthe specifications ofIEC61000-4-2 level 4.

In order to reduce thecapacitance variation withDC-channel voltage, theground diodes betweeneach channel and the twoground terminals areimplemented as Shockleydiodes.

APPLICATIONS• SuperSpeed USB (USB3.0) interfaces• High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI®)• DisplayPort interfaces• external Serial Advanced Technology

Attachment (eSATA) interfaces• Low-Voltage Differential Signalling (LVDS)

interfaces

FEATURES• Rail-to-rail clamping performance• Input-voltage limits: -0.5V, 5.5V• 4V clamping voltage• 6V minimum breakdown voltage• 1µA maximum reverse leakage current



NXP SEMICONDUCTORS

30V MOSFET offers best-in-class power density

Advanced die and package performance combine to deliver 75A current handling in a tiny3.3mm x 3.3mm outline

Fairchild Semiconductor's newFDMC8010 30V Power 33 MOSFETdelivers best-in-classpower density and lowconduction loss in a3.3mm x 3.3mm footprint.

Using its PowerTrench®

fabrication process, Fairchild hasbeen able to deliver very low on-resistance in the FDMC8010: amaximum 1.3mΩ at 10V, 30A.When used in isolated 1/16thbrick DC-DC converterapplications, this on-resistancefigure is 25% less than that ofcompeting products in the samefootprint. In addition, thedevice’s small conduction lossesresult in improved thermalefficiency by up to 25%compared to MOSFETs widelyused today.

This high thermal efficiency,and the low level of waste heat

APPLICATIONS• DC-DC buck converters• Point-of-load regulators• Low-side switching• ORing FET

FEATURES• 15ns maximum rise time @ 10V, 30A• 11ns maximum fall time @ 10V, 30A• 30A maximum continuous drain current

@ 25°C ambient temperature• Operating temperature range:

-55°C to 150°C• 1µA zero gate voltage drain current




Fairchild’s FOD8320: page 5Vishay’s SiRA0xDP: page 5Rohm’s BM6103FV-C: page 6

PARTNERWORKING

generated in the device, mean that it canhandle high power in its small PQFN package.Replacing a 5mm x 6mm MOSFET with the3.3mm x 3.3mm FDMC8010 could result in a66% saving in the MOSFET footprint.

MOSFET controller drives PSU efficiency beyondEnergy Star targets


The ZXGD3105N8 improves performance by preventing unwanted power-switchbehaviour


The device contains a differentialamplifier, which acts as a detector,and a high-current driver. Thedetector stage monitors the reversevoltage of the MOSFET so that, ifbody-diode conduction occurs, apositive voltage is applied to theMOSFET’s Gate pin. When thepositive voltage is applied to thegate, the MOSFET turns on allowinga reverse current to flow.

This mode of operation, in which the MOSFETcontroller functions as a proportional gatedrive, protects against unnecessary MOSFETturn-off and also reduces the MOSFET turn-offpropagation delay down to 15ns therebyminimising reverse-current flow. Power-supplyefficiency is also enhanced.

The ZXGD3105N8 is housed in an SO-8package and can operate at switchingfrequencies as high as 500kHz. This allows

designers to specify a small-size transformerand thereby achieve a slimmer form factor forAC/DC and DC/DC internal and externalpower supplies used in both industrial andconsumer product sectors.

APPLICATIONS• Flyback and resonant converters in:

• Low-voltage AC/DC adaptors• PC (ATX) and server power supplies

• Low-voltage DC/DC conversion• Set-top boxes

FEATURES• Quiescent current less than 1mA• Supply voltage down to 4.5V• Critical-Conduction Mode (CrCM) and

Continuous-Mode (CCM) operation• AEC-Q101 qualified



DIODES INCORPORATED

Smart high-side switches provide reliable alternative to MOSFETsor relays in automotive applications

Fairchild Semiconductor has launcheda smart high-side switch family foradvanced electrical load control inautomotive body electronics.

The family provides analternative to discreteMOSFETs or electro-mechanical relays,integrating protectionand diagnostic featuresin order to reducecomponent count andPCB complexity, whileoffering better systemreliability. Automotivesystem designers canuse these new parts toreliably and safely switchhigh currents intogrounded resistive orinductive loads, such asincandescent lamps,motors and heaters.

The FDDS100H06_F085smart high-side switch is

an N-channel power MOSFET with chargepump, ground-referenced CMOS-compatibleinput and diagnostic output with integratedprotection functions. The diagnostic feedbackcapability of the FDDS100H06_F085 providessystem control options to minimise the impactof various fault conditions.

The FDBS09H04A_F085Aand FDDS10H04A_F085Aare smart high-side switchesincorporating an N-channelpower MOSFET devicewhich features a chargepump, current-controlledinput and diagnosticfeedback with load-currentsense and integrated SmartTrench chip-on-chiptechnology.

These Fairchild high-sideswitches incorporate internalself-protection featureswhich prevent damage tothe end system in conditions

such as over-temperature, shorted load, loaddump and over-voltage, providing highreliability in demanding automotiveapplications. The devices are qualified to AECautomotive standards.


APPLICATIONS• Power switch with diagnostic feedback for

DC ground loads• All types of resistive, capacitive and

inductive loads• To replace electro-mechanical relays,

fuses and discrete circuits

FEATURES• Short-circuit protection • Current limitation • Thermal shut-down with restart • Over-voltage protection including load dump• Very low stand-by current • Under-voltage and over-voltage shut-down

with auto-restart and hysteresis• Open-load detection in ON state • ESD protection



Part Number On-resistance(mΩ)

Load Current(A)

Supply-voltageRange (V) Package

FDBS09H04A_F085A 9 48 5.5 to 38 TO263_7LFDDS10H04A_F085A 10 41 5.5 to 38 TO252_5LFDDS100H06_F085 100 3 5.5 to 37 TO252_5L

Enabling flyback power-supply designersto replace inefficient Schottky rectifierswith a MOSFET driven as an idealdiode, the ZXGD3105N8 synchronous-MOSFET controller from DiodesIncorporated outperforms competingsolutions and enables flyback power supplies to achieve high full-load efficiency and exceed Energy Star requirements for standby power.

Integrated protection and diagnostic features enhancesystem-level reliability



868MHz and 915MHz ceramic chip antennassave board space

Vishay Intertechnology has launched four new small form-factor, high-performancemulti-layer ceramic chip antennas for the reception and transmission of digitalsignals at frequencies of 868MHz and 915MHz.

The miniature VJ5x01 devices comply with theMBRAI standard for portable communication,enabling designers to develop high-performance wireless products without using alarge external antenna.

The antennas’ ceramic-oxide bodyconstruction offers highly reliable operation.They are manufactured in noble-metalelectrode technology with a wet-build process.

The devices support assembly on to aprinted circuit board using a standard reflowprocess.

APPLICATIONS• Medical telemetry and instrumentation• Industrial automation• Security and home automation systems• Gas and water meters• Remote sensing and control• Long-range RFID

FEATURES• 50Ω unbalanced tuning interfaces• Operating temperature range:

-40°C to 85°C• Halogen-free in accordance with

IEC 61249-2-21



VISHAY

Miniature 30V Trench MOSFET optimised forswitching duties

APPLICATIONS• Relay drivers• High-speed line drivers• Low-side load switching• General switching circuits

FEATURES• 77mΩ typical on-state resistance

@VGS = 4.5V, 25°C• 12V maximum gate-source voltage (VGS)

30V maximum drain-source voltage (VDS)



NXP SEMICONDUCTORS

Part Number Operation Frequency(MHz) Size (mm) Half-power Tuned

Bandwidth (MHz)Frequency Range (MHz)

VJ5301M868MXBSR 868 35 x 5 x 1.2 100 820 to 920VJ5601M868MXBSR 868 15.5 x 10.5 x 1.2 140 800 to 940VJ5301M915MXBSR 915 35 x 5 x 1.2 160 835 to 995VJ5601M915MXBSR 915 15.5 x 10.5 x 1.2 160 835 to 995

The NXP Semiconductors PMF77XNTrench MOSFET has optimalcharacteristics for driving andswitching applications, withfeatures allowing fast,reliable switching and alow threshold voltageof 1.5V maximumthereby enablingdesigners tosimplify gate-drivecircuitry.

With low total gate charge of 2.9nC, thedevice achieves fast turn-on and turn-off delaytimes of 8ns and 27ns respectively, andrise/fall times of 19ns and 11ns allowing use in

a variety of applications including high-speed line driving.

Robust performance is assuredin a wide variety of environmentsand applications, due to abreakdown voltage of 30V,continuous drain-current ratingof 1.63A and maximum gate-

source voltage of ±12V. The three-lead SC-70 (SOT323) packageoccupies minimal PCB space andenables the device to operateover a wide temperature range

from -55°C to 150°C.

Vishay's ceramic chip antennas are compact, rugged, and compatible with surface-mount assembly



APPLICATIONS• Low power consumption applications• Ultra high-speed switching• LED backlight and Flash for mobile

applications• High efficiency DC/DC conversion• Switched-mode power supplies

FEATURES• 1A average forward-current rating• 20V reverse-voltage capability• 0.37mm package height• 1.6ns typical reverse-recovery time• AEC-Q101 qualified



NXP SEMICONDUCTORS

60A power module family eases compliance withstringent energy efficiency standards

The FDMF6820/23/33A/B/C modules deliver current-handling capability of 50A, 55A or 60A in a6mm x 6mm outline

Fairchild Semiconductor’s newFDMF68xx Gen III DrMOS Multi-ChipModule (MCM) family offers outstandingefficiency, a high current capability,high switching frequency and excellentpower density when used in high-current point-of-loadregulator modules andcomputing equipment.The devices integratea MOSFET and driverpower stage into asingle 6mm x 6mmmodule.

By using one of theseadvanced MCM products,power-supply designerscan more easily meet therequirements of stringentnew energy standards, aswell as the higher-powerspecifications beingintroduced in computingand networking equipmentsuch as blade servers. The design of theFDMF68xx series requiresfew inductors and outputcapacitors, resulting in

board footprint savings of up to 50%compared to conventional discrete solutions,and helping to improve energy efficiency andpower density.

Benefitting from the use of Fairchild's high-performance PowerTrench® MOSFET processtechnology, the FDMF68xx series dramaticallyreduces switch ringing, eliminating the needfor a snubber circuit in most buck converterdesigns.

The Gen III DrMOS MCM family supports both3.3V and 5V tri-state PWM input voltages inboth digital and analogue PWM controllers.The modules support a switching frequency ofmore than 1MHz and an increased maximumload current compared to previous generationsof modules.


APPLICATIONS• High-current point-of-load regulators• Microprocessor voltage regulators• Small form-factor voltage regulator modules• DC/DC converters in embedded computers

FEATURES• Efficiency:

500kHz frequency, 12VIN, 1VOUT93% @ peak91% @ 30A1MHz frequency, 12VIN, 1VOUT90% @ peak88% @ 30A

• 60A current rating at 100°C junctiontemperature

• Capable of operating at up to 1.5MHzswitching frequency

• Eliminates the need for a heatsink in most designs



NXP Semiconductors’PMEG2010BELD 20V, 1ASchottky barrier rectifier isencapsulated in aleadless DFN1006D-2(SOD882D) SMD plasticpackage, which supportsspace-saving design andfeatures visible andsolderable side padsfor enhanced solder-joint strength,improved coplanarityand easier opticalinspection.

The PMEG2010BELD joins NXP’s PlanarMaximum Efficiency General Application(MEGA) product range. With maximum forwardvoltage of 490mV at 1A, and typical reverse

current of 28µA at 10V reverse voltage,this device helps designers to minimise

energy losses in circuitry performingfunctions such as rectification,voltage conversion and reverse-polarity protection. It is an idealchoice for mobile, battery-driven,lightweight devices and otherapplications where PCB space islimited.

Featuring an integrated guard ringfor stress protection, thePMEG2010BELD is robust and

capable of reliable operation in harshenvironments. It is qualified to AEC-Q101 forautomotive applications.

Miniature 20V Schottky barrier rectifier deliversbenchmark performance



High-speed, high-density interconnect for datarates up to 40Gbit/s

designers to save board space and achievevery high termination density. The availableconfigurations are a 1x1 single port and 1x3ganged cages with heatsink and light-pipeoptions.

APPLICATIONS• Cellular hubs• Servers• Switches• Network interfaces• Power supplies• Medical diagnostic equipment• Test and measurement equipment

FEATURES• 40N maximum mating force• 250 cycles minimum durability• Operating-temperature range:

-20°C to 65°C• 0.5A per pin electrical current rating• 30V DC maximum voltage rating



Industry’s first panel potentiometer with variableresistor and switch in a built-in knob

The P16S highly integrated potentiometer delivers the advantages of mechanical operation for low-profilepanel applications

Vishay Intertechnology has introduceda new panel potentiometer, theindustry’s first to include a variableresistor and switch incorporated into abuilt-in knob.

The new P16S potentiometer is a compact,fully sealed unit with a panel-sealedconstruction. Its unique design consists of aknob driving unit that incorporates a cermetpotentiometer.

Only the mounting hardware and terminalsare situated on the back side of the panel,which keeps the required clearance to aminimum and makes it ideal for small, low-

profile, low-weightequipment. The devicehas a 7mm bushinglength (15mm insidethe end equipment);the knob’s diameter is16mm.

The power rating ofthe cermet device is1W at 40°C. A versionof the potentiometerwith a conductiveplastic element foraudio applications, thePA16S, is alsoavailable with a powerrating of 0.5W at 40°C.

APPLICATIONS• Communication headsets• Night-vision goggles• Cockpit panels

FEATURES• Cermet element provides better stability

than carbon elements• High dielectric strength of 2.5kVRMS for

greater reliability and robustness• Indent feeling provides response to user

input• Detent and electric cut-off at beginning of

travel• Operating temperature range:

-40°C to 125°C (cermet version)



VISHAY

P.I.E.S E C T I O N

The zQSFP+ (z-Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable Plus) connector andcage assembly from TE Connectivity™

provides interconnects for fourlanes of high-speed differentialsignals with data ratesranging from 25Gbit/s upto potentially 40Gbit/s.

These connectors meet therequirements of next-generation100Gbit/s Ethernet and 100Gbit/s 4xInfiniBand™ Enhanced Data-Rate (EDR)

standards. They are also backwards compatiblewith current QSFP optical modules and cableassemblies, hence enabling quick and easysystem upgrades.

Designed with an enhanced cagefor blocking Electro-Magnetic

Interference (EMI), theconnector also helpsto provide excellentthermal performance.Further benefits includesuperior signal integrity

as well as superiormechanical and electrical

performance thanks to acoupling design featuring narrow-

edged, blanked-and-formed contactgeometry with a moulded insert. The

connector’s housing is made from high-temperature thermoplastic materialto withstand lead-free processing.Metal parts of the assembly includea zinc-alloy front flange, nickel-silvercage, copper-alloy EMI springs, andan optional aluminium heatsink.

In addition, staggered press-fitpins allow belly-to-belly mounting oneither side of a PCB, enabling

Part Number Part Description

1551920-2 zQSFP+ connector assembly

1551891-1 zQSFP+ 1x1 cage assembly behind bezel

2173238-1 zQSFP+ 1x3 cage assembly behind bezel

1551892-1 zQSFP+ 1x1 cage assembly behind bezel with heatsink

2173239-1 zQSFP+ 1x3 cage assembly behind bezel with heatsink

TE CONNECTIVITY

The first requirement is usually easy to meet: just ensure that the LEDdrive current is below around 20µA, or that the forward voltage drop ofthe LED is less than about 1.0V.

The second requirement defines the underdrive, or sensitivity, limit ofthe receiver: the designer must ensure that the receiver has enoughinput power. This means that the minimum coupled power at thetransmitter, minus the maximum system losses, must be greater thanthe minimum PR(L). This can be expressed as:

PTmin – αmax > PR(L)min

The design should be started with the transmitter drive current at themaximum recommended current for Versatile Link transmitters, 60mA,and decreased later on if required. Figure 1 shows the drive circuit for a40kBd or 5MBd transmitter.

This Design Note provides a guide to the design of the transmitter/receiveroptical link using Avago Technologies’ Versatile Link components, whichare intended for use with 1mm POF.

The fundamental requirement in the design of a fibre-optic link is toensure that the receiver gets the proper amount of light. This placesthree constraints on the design:For a high output voltage:• Input power must be less than the maximum PR(H) (overload)For a low output voltage:• Input power must be greater than the minimum PR(L)• Input power must be less than the maximum PR(L)

Where: PR(L) specifies the input power required for a low output voltagePR(H) specifies the input power required for a high output voltage

AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES

Fig. 1: Transmitter drive circuit for 5MBd and 40kBd Versatile Link transmitters

12 V I S I T T H E O N L I N E F T M M A G A Z I N E AT: W W W . M Y- F T M . C O M

D E S I G N N O T E


IR's Class-D modules overcome circuit-design challenges andshorten time to market

benefit of utilising a smaller size of Class-Dtopology.

Key features shared by PowIRaudio-familymembers include over-current protection,thermal shutdown, internal/external shutdownand floating differential input. The IR4302M/IR4312M also offers clip detection.

Several reference designs are also available,spanning audio output-power ratings from70W to 200W and with single, split or AC/DCpower-supply configurations, which furthersimplify the design of systems using thesedevices.

APPLICATIONS• Home-theatre systems• Docking-station audio systems• Game consoles• In-car audio equipment• Powered speakers

FEATURES• Maximum operating voltage:

80V (IR4301/4302), 40V (IR4311/4312)• 250µVRMS residual noise• 0.02% typical THD+N @ 1kHz, 1W, 4Ω• Start/stop click-noise reduction• 500kHz switching frequency



INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER

International Rectifier PowIRaudio™

integrated power modules combine aPWM controller and digital-audio powerMOSFETs in a single package, enablingaudio-system designers to savecomponent count, reduce PCB size byup to 70%, and simplify Class-Damplifier design.

The combination of an advanced audiocontroller IC with MOSFETs fully optimised foraudio performance results in improvedefficiency, THD, and EMI. The devices canoperate without a heatsink over a wide power-supply range on either a single or split powersupply. High voltage ratings and noiseimmunity ensure reliable operation in a widevariety of applications and environments.

The family comprises the single-channelIR4301M/IR4311M and dual-channelIR4302M/IR4312M. This selection of devicesprovides flexibility and convenience fordesigners building mono, stereo or multi-channel amplifier designs targeting various

operating-voltage and output-power levels.The single-channel IR4301M/IR4311M ishoused in the 5mm x 6mm PQFN package,while the dual-channel IR4302M/IR4312M ishoused in the 7mm x 7mm PQFN variant.Both package configurations enhance the

Plastic Optical Fibre (POF) is widely used in industrialnetworks because it supports reliable data communication.POF is often preferred to copper cable because it canprotect equipment from excessive voltages, reduce EMI,eliminate the hazard of generating sparks, and ensure dataintegrity in environments with large amounts of noise or withhigh common-mode voltages.

Integrated Class-D power modulessimplify high-performance audio design

Part NumberAudio Output Power (in typical

application example, THD+N = 10%)

4Ω 3ΩIR4301M 160W 120WIR4311M 35W 45WIR4302M 130W 100WIR4312M 35W 40W

Configuring the transmitter in a typical Plastic-Optical-Fibre link


D E S I G N N O T E


Typical values for the forward voltage of the LED (VF) and the output-lowvoltage of the gate (VOL) are 1.6V and 0.25V.

Another way of looking at the same requirement is in terms of anOptical Power Budget (OPB). The optical power budget is how muchoptical power can be spent on losses in the system; it is defined as thedifference between the minimum transmitted power and the minimum PR(L):

OPB = PTmin – PR(L)min

Total system losses, primarily due to cable attenuation and losses inbulkhead cable adaptors, must then be less than the optical power budget:

αmax < OPB

Designers might want to include a safety or Power Margin (PM) in theirdesign. This margin is included to account for any decreases in thereceived optical power over the lifetime of the link. The received powermay decrease over time due to increases in attenuation of the fibre, dueto optical contamination of the connectors or active components, or dueto a drop in the output power of the transmitter. With a power margin inthe calculations, system losses plus the power margin must be less thanthe optical power budget:

αmax + PM < OPB

A typical power margin is around 3dB; choose a larger margin for harshenvironments and a smaller margin for more benign environments. Forexample, if maximum system losses are 12dB and a power margin of3dB is specified, then the optical power budget must be greater than15dB. Equally, with an optical power budget of 10dB and a powermargin of 3dB, then the maximum system losses must be less than 7dB.

To calculate the minimum allowable transmitter drive current,determine if there is any budget left over after subtracting systemlosses and the power margin. This is the amount by which the designercan decrease the transmitter output power, by decreasing the drivecurrent:

Remaining budget = OPB – (αmax + PM)

As an example,assume the designspecifies a 40kBd,5m link withstandard cable, twobulkheadconnections, and apower margin of3dB. The maximumlosses for thissystem arecalculated as7.75dB, as shown inFigure 2. VersatileLink devices for datarates of 0-50MBdwith analogue ordigital interface alsoavailable.With a power margin

of 3dB, the optical power budget, OPB, must be greater than:7.75dB + 3dB = 10.75dB

or 10.75dB < OPB

Figure 3 shows that the 40kBd transmitter can couple a minimumtemperature-dependent power of -13.6dBm at 60mA, and the receiverhas a minimum PR(L) of -39dBm. Therefore the optical power budget isgiven by:

OPB = -13.6dBm - (-39dBm) = 25.4dB

Thus there is plenty of power budget to cover the system losses andpower margin. To determine the minimum transmitter drive current,determine the remaining budget:

Remaining budget = 25.4dB – (7.75dB + 3dB) = 14.65dB

This is how much it is possible to decrease the transmitter output powerwhile still guaranteeing that the receiver will not be underdriven.

According to Figure 4, decreasing the drive current to about 4mA willdrop the output power by around the right amount. This explains whythe 40kBd link is often described as a ‘low-current’ link.

This covers the first two requirements for designing a fibre-optic link.The third requirement defines the overdrive limit of the receiver, ensuringthat the receiver does not get too much power. In other words, themaximum possible received optical power, which equals the maximumtransmitter power minus the minimum system losses, must be less thanthe maximum PR(L). In equation form:

PTmax – αmin < PR(L)max

If the maximum PR(L) were exceeded, the receiver might exhibitexcessive pulse-width distortion or multiple edge transitions. If thereceived optical power is too high, then the coupled power at thetransmitter must be decreased by decreasing the drive current. Tocalculate the maximum allowable transmitter drive current, firstdetermine how far above PR(L)max the received power is, and thendecrease the transmitter output power by that much:

Amount of decrease = (PTmax – αmin) – PR(L)max

In the example above, the minimum system losses were alreadycalculated as 2.35dB, as shown in Figure 2.

The 40kBd transmitter can couple a maximum power of -4.5dBm at60mA, and the receiver has a maximum PR(L) of -13.7dBm. Firstdetermine the maximum possible received power:

-4.5dBm – 2.35dB = -6.85dBm

This is above the overdrive limit, PR(L)max, of -13.7dBm. Therefore, wemust decrease the transmitter drive current to decrease the transmittercoupled power:

Amount of decrease = -6.85dBm – (13.7dBm) = 6.85dB

According to Figure 4, decreasingthe transmitter drive current toaround 14mA will ensure that thereceiver is not overdriven. For theexample link discussed above,the minimum transmitter drivecurrent is about 4mA, and themaximum current is about 14mA.Choosing a current between theminimum and maximum currentswill provide additional safety orpower margin.

Fig. 2: Example calculation of minimum and maximum losses for a 5mlink of standard POF cable with two bulkhead connections

Fig. 3: Coupled power specifications for each of the transmitters in the Versatile Link range

Avago’s Versatile Linkfibre optic connectors arefeatured on page 22

Fig. 4: Normalised typical output power versus drivecurrent (normalised to the value at IF = 60mA)

The design challenge in Solid State Lighting is complex: to optimise theintegration of optical, thermal, electronics and mechanical componentswhile meeting the requirements for consistent light output, power andproduct lifetime.

Fortunately, the engineers at Future Lighting Solutions are lightinginnovation experts, and can help you accelerate your products to marketfrom product concept development to complete systems solutions and asustainable LED supply.

And with the power of Future Electronics’ global supply chain servicebehind it, Future Lighting Solutions can deliver its expertise – and thecomponents you need – wherever you are and wherever you manufacture.

A P P L I C AT I O N S P O T L I G H T – I N D U S T R I A L A U T O M AT I O N


Industrial Automation Product MatrixIntroducing the industrial automation product matrix, designed to makeyour component selection significantly easier. This matrix highlightsleading industrial automation suppliers – all available through Future

Electronics. Advanced engineering support will help to ensure the bestproduct fit for each application, with expert on-line resources and best-in-class logistics supporting all featured products.

FUNCTIONALBLOCKS

SAFETY

Processors ASICONLY

Fuses Isolation SemiconductorProtection Devices

Relays

PLC

Power Supply MCU LCD Connectors Buzzers Relays Data Converters Passive Components Signal PathComponents

Terminal Blocks DIN Rail Products

COMMUNICATIONS

Fibre Optic Ethernet Profibus/Profinet ASSP HART USB ZigBee®

ISM Band ASICONLY

AS I/F

MOTOR CONTROL

MCU PowerFET IGBT Encoders Motor Chipsets

SENSORS

Optical ASSP

Magnetic

Pressure ASICONLY

Acceleration

Inertia ASICONLY

Hall Effect ASICONLY

Flow Sensors ASICONLY

Temperature

Avago Technologies

AnalogicTech

AMS

AVX

AZ Displays

IXYS

Cooper Bussm

ann

Crydom

Cypress Sem

iconductor

Diodes Incorporated

Enpirion

Exar

Fairchild Sem

iconductor

Freescale Sem

iconductor

Innovasic

International R

ectifier

Littelfuse

Lumex

Melexis

Micrel

Microchip

Murata

NIC Components

NXP Sem

iconductors

ON Sem

iconductor

Rohm

Sem

iconductor

Sem

tech

STMicroelectronics

Tianm

a

TE Connectivity

Vishay

Industrial AutomationDespite financial problems and slowing growth in Europe andfurther afield, the global market for industrial-automationequipment will grow from almost £160 billion toover $200 billion by 2015 according to marketanalyst IMS. Among the healthy indicators for thissector, machinery production in the US is growing,and activity levels in China are expected to pick upagain towards the end of 2012.Of the many factors that drive automation-

equipment sales, the world’s economists wouldprefer the view that manufacturing is expanding tosatisfy growing demand. Design engineers, on theother hand, would be happy that customers areinvesting in newer, faster, more energy efficient andcompetitively priced technology.The innovations showcased in this Application

Spotlight will certainly enable new generations ofequipment offering advantages such as greaterflexibility, smaller dimensions, easier systemmanagement and lower operating costs. Theyinclude enhanced sensing devices, such as the amsmagnetic rotary encoder, on page 17, and Vishay reflective opticalsensor, on page 18, as well as motor drivers and controllers from

ON Semiconductor and Freescale, on page 19. In addition, thelatest network-connectivity devices such as Micrel’s advanced

industrial Ethernet ICs, on page 18, and ON Semiconductor’s HART transceiver, on page 17,will enable smarter factories benefitting from thescalability and future proofing that robust globalstandards provide.There is no question that networking of industrial

equipment can deliver tremendous efficiencyadvantages. However, consolidation onto Ethernet-based standards using TCP/IP, combined with theintegration of smart sensors and bridges intomanagement systems, has raised security concerns.Freescale is now able to deliver an embeddedsolution through its trust architecture, which isdiscussed in the article below. This month’s DesignNote, starting on page 12, also covers the theme ofindustrial connectivity as Avago Technologies showshow to optimise high-speed communications overplastic optical fibre.Technology may not be the single silver bullet to

solve the world’s economic ills, but the engineering challenges arecertainly more exciting than banking negotiations.

16 F R E E D E V E L O P M E N T K I T S AT W W W . M Y- B O A R D C L U B . C O M


Advanced processors support trust architecturefor secure industrial networking

Trust architecture utilises the core and security peripherals of QorIQ® devices

Freescale’s QorIQ® processors provideextensive security features to protectkey resources such as industrialcontrol systems against attacks andcyber-security threats.

The QorIQ P1010 and other QorIQ processors,such as P2040, P2041, P3041, P4080, P4040,P5020 and P5010, support Freescale’s trustarchitecture, which enables the creation oftrusted systems capable of detecting andcountering suspicious activities or externalattacks on the system.

An important function of the trust architecture issecure boot, through which the P1010processor is able to identify digitally-signedauthentic code. Other functions include secureruntime, secure debug, tamper detection, anddevice-specific secret-key usage.

The main responsibilities of the trustarchitecture include establishing a unique non-tamperable silicon identifier and a non-tamperable binding between hardware and apublic key; validating the system image prior toexecution and allowing validated images touse a device-specific one-time programmablesecret key; and detecting and responding tohardware and software security violations thatmay compromise the secret key. Furtherfunctions of the trust architecture includesupporting strong partitioning of system

resources, securing debuginterfaces, and protecting anarbitrary number of sessionkeys without impactingsecurity accelerationperformance.

Features integrated in theQorIQ processors provideessential functionalitysupporting the trustarchitecture. The PowerArchitecture® e500mc CPU,for example, is central both tosecure-boot and secure-runtime operations. Otherimportant functions includethe CCSR Access-Control

Unit (ACU), non-modifiable internal boot ROM,security-fuse processor, secure monitor,secure debug controller, SEC 4.4 unit withruntime integrity checker, and an input forOEM-defined tamper-detection circuitry suchas magnetic switches or sensor inputs forlight, voltage or temperature.

Trust architecture features embedded inQorIQ processors are not enabled by default,and can be enabled selectively thereby givingdesigners the flexibility to strike a balancebetween security and overall systemperformance.

FREESCALE

APPLICATIONS• Factory-control systems• Remote-sensor networks• Machine-control units• Site-safety systems• Infrastructure controllers

FEATURES• Further QorIQ features supporting trust

architecture:• Support for Zeroizable Secret Key (ZSK)• Platform memory-management units• Embedded-hypervisor architecture





HART modem on a chip simplifies designof industrial-automation transceivers

HART digital communicationenables engineers to manageinstrumentation and systemsfor industrial processmeasurement and control,and is compatible with legacy4-20mA analogueinstrumentation wiring.

The NCN5192 helps tosimplify design and reducesthe cost of HARTmultiplexers and modem interfaces, byintegrating a transmit-data modulator withsignal shaper, carrier-detect circuitry, ananalogue receiver, demodulator circuitry andan oscillator.

A receiver band-pass filter is also integratedon-chip. With only a few external passivecomponents added, this architecture providesall of the functions needed to satisfy HARTphysical-layer requirements includingmodulation, demodulation, receive filtering,carrier detect, and transmit-signal waveshaping. Moreover, by providing a 16-bitSigma-Delta DAC, the NCN5192 also allowsdesigners to reduce bill-of-materials costswhen implementing a current-loop slavetransmitter. The NCN5192 provides a UART

interface to a hostmicrocontroller. An SPIinterface can be used toconfigure the device’s 16-bitsigma-delta DAC,watchdog and oscillator.

The NCN5192 usesphase-continuousFrequency Shift Keying(FSK) modulation at 1200bits per second. Themodulator accepts digital

data at its digital input and generates atrapezoidal-shaped FSK modulated signal atthe analogue output. The demodulatorreceives the FSK signal at its analogue input,filters it with a band-pass filter and generates

received-data and carrier-detect signals. Toconserve power the receive circuits are disabledduring transmit operations, and vice versa.This provides the half-duplex operation used inHART communications. The modem’sintegrated oscillator provides a stable timebase using either a simple external resonatoror an external clock source.

ON SEMICONDUCTOR

APPLICATIONS• HART multiplexers• HART-modem interfaces• 4-20mA loop-powered transmitters

FEATURES• Supply-voltage range: 3.0V to 5.5V• SPI communication• Requires 460.8kHz, 920kHz or 1.8MHz

crystal or ceramic resonator• 1200Hz and 2200Hz Bell 202 shift

frequencies• Integrated 16-bit sigma-delta DAC• 32−pin NQFP package



14-bit magnetic angular-position sensor offers reliablemeasurements in noisy industrial environments

Designers can save cost and increase the precision of positioningand motion-control systems

The AS5048 from ams is a 14-bitmagnetic rotary position sensor ICoffering new features which make iteasier than ever to achieve accurate,reliable angle measurements inmicrocontroller-based applications.

design of the IC’s integrated Hall sensors andsignal processing circuitry. This makes theAS5048 ideal for use in electrically andmagnetically noisy industrial environments.

An internal voltage regulator enables theAS5048 to operate from either a 3.3V or 5Vsupply. Multiple devices can be daisy-chainedto produce a serial data read-out.

AMS

APPLICATIONS• Motor control• Robotics• Potentiometer replacement

FEATURES• 360° contactless angle position sensor • High-speed I²C interface and PWM output• Magnetic field input range: 30mT to 70mT • Contactless sensor incurs no wear and

tear



The AS5048, which provides a PWM outputand either an SPI or I2C interface, suppliesabsolute angle measurements to a hostmicrocontroller. The application’s mechanicaldesign does not need to allow for precise initialalignment of the sensor IC and the two-polemagnet with which it is paired: instead, thezero position is programmed into the AS5048magnetic encoder one time only on assembly,via a simple SPI or I2C command, with norequirement for a special programming device.

The AS5048 is also highly tolerant ofvariations in the air gap, as well as of variationsin temperature from -40°C to 150°C.

This new position sensor offers more precisemeasurement than previous members of ams’family of magnetic rotary position sensors.

Its 14-bit measurement engine provides forresolution down to 0.0219°. With linearisationand averaging implemented in a hostmicrocontroller, it can deliver angle measurementsaccurate to 0.05°.

The new AS5048 also takes advantage ofproprietary manufacturing processes developedat ams’ wafer fab in Graz, Austria, whichenable the production of extremely sensitiveanalogue circuits. The IC’s high sensitivitymeans that it can be paired with low-costmagnet types such as ferrites, operatingreliably in magnetic fields as weak as 30mT.

This new device reliably rejects interferencefrom stray magnetic fields, due to the unique

Micrel’s KSZ8463: page 18PARTNERWORKINGThe ON Semiconductor NCN5192single-chip CMOS modem savescomponent count and consumes lowpower for intrinsically safe operation ofnetworked industrial equipmentutilising the Highway-AddressableRemote-Transducer (HART) protocol.

The NCN5192 simplifies design using thepopular HART industrial bus standard



Real-time Ethernet switches offer high integrationand low power usage

The three devices in the family provide options for interfacing to an MCU with or without anembedded Ethernet MAC

Micrel has released a family of highlyintegrated Ethernet devices, offeringsupport for real-time synchronisedEthernet networking while deliveringsavings in cost, space and power.

The KSZ84xx series of devices, based onMicrel’s new EtherSynch™ technology, combinea three-port 10/100Base-TX Ethernet switch,PHY transceivers and IEEE 1588v2synchronisation capability along with apowerful I/O facility synchronised to the localclock, all in a single chip.

There are three devices in the KSZ84xxproduct family:• KSZ8463, a three-port 10/100Base-TX

switch with IEEE 1588v2 support andstandard MII or RMII for interfacing to CPUswith an embedded Ethernet MAC

• KSZ8462, a three-port 10/100Base-TXswitch with IEEE 1588v2 support andgeneric host bus interface for interfacing toCPUs without an embedded Ethernet MAC

• KSZ8441 controller, a 10/100Base-TXMAC/PHY with IEEE 1588v2 support andgeneric host bus interface for interfacing toCPUs without an embedded Ethernet MAC

The KSZ84xx family contains the first fullyintegrated IEEE 1588v2 Ethernet three-port

switches on the market.Housed in a 10mm x 10mmpackage and offering integratedline termination, the devicesenable designers to reduce bill-of-materials costs and boardfootprint.

All three KSZ84xx parts alsooffer important power-savingbenefits: using Micrel’s newgeneration of integrated ultra-low power PHY transceivers,they use less than one-third asmuch power as industrialEthernet PHYs commonly inuse today.

Support for the IEEE 1588v2standard is an essential

element of today’s real-time communicationssystems, and Micrel aids their development byproviding a pre-qualified IEEE 1588v2Precision Time Protocol software stack free ofcharge with the KSZ84xx. The devices alsodeliver outstanding real-time performance,exceeding the IEEE 1588v2 standard’srequirement for 1µs synchronisation jitter errorby an order of magnitude.

Transparent clock-mode corrections areimplemented entirely in hardware, significantlyreducing the overhead on the host CPU. TheICs also offer the ability to time-stampincoming events including edges, and toperform pulse and pattern detection.

MICREL

APPLICATIONS• Industrial Ethernet network equipment

FEATURES• Extensive power-management features• Support for IEEE 802.3az Energy-Efficient

Ethernet standard• Frequency- and waveform-output

generator



New reflective optical sensor with5mm detection range

High emitter efficiency enhances performance in position- or proximity-sensingapplications

Measuring just 3.4mm x 2.7mm x 1.5mm, theTCNT2000 offers a detection range from 0.2mmto 5mm, and is suitable for applications inconsumer, industrial and computing equipment.

Using Vishay’s efficient 940nm emitter chip,the TCNT2000 optical sensor provides aCurrent Transfer Ratio (CTR) of 4%,

outperforming competing devicesby a factor of 2. This CTR givesdesigners the choice of increasingthe detection range or driving thedevice at a lower drive current toreduce power consumption withoutdegrading performance.

The TCNT2000 has a compactstructure: its emitting light sourceand silicon phototransistor detectorare arranged in the same plane.The sensor’s analogue outputsignal is triggered by detection ofreflected infra-red light fromobjects 0.2mm to 5mm away.

The device offers a built-in daylight blockingfilter, which greatly suppresses disturbancefrom ambient light and increases the signal-to-noise ratio, while keeping the maximumspectral sensitivity at the operating wavelengthof 940nm.

VISHAY

APPLICATIONS• Optical encoding and switching • Accurate position sensor for shaft

encoders• Object detection in office equipment

FEATURES• 0.8mA output current under test • Operating temperature range:

-40°C to 85°C



Vishay Intertechnology has announceda new reflective optical sensor with atransistor output in a miniaturesurface-mount package.

ON Semi’s NCN5192MNG: page 17PARTNERWORKING



Digital signal controllers enhance core andperipherals for advanced motor control

A 32-bit core and new peripherals further extend the performance of Freescale's digitalsignal controllers

accurate, high-speed peripherals providesplentiful capability for controlling all types ofadvanced, high-speed motors and maintainingfinite control of a closed-loop system.

Other enhancements help to increasesystem data-management efficiency, includinga 4-channel DMA controller that minimisesinterrupts to the CPU, a memory-protectionunit, and FlexMemory/EEPROM eliminating theneed for EEPROM emulation in Flash.

FREESCALE

Fully integrated stepper-motor drivers cut size and costof mechatronic applications

ON Semiconductors modules simplify the design of drives andpositioning systems

The AMIS-30542 and AMIS-30523 fromON Semiconductor are micro-steppingmotor drivers for bipolar steppermotors, which integrate features suchas a reset output and watchdog resetcapable of supplying peripheral devicesand also provide an embedded CANtransceiver in the AMIS-30523.

Both devices contain a current-translationtable and generate the output for the nextmicro-step depending on the clock signal onthe NXT input pin and the status of the internaldirection register or Direction input pin.

The AMIS- 30542 provides a speed andload-angle output. This allows the creation ofstall-detection algorithms and control loopsbased on load angle to adjust torque andspeed. It uses a proprietary PWM algorithm forreliable current control, and generates aprogrammable output current up to 2.2Acontinuous or 5A for a short time using a 5-bitcurrent DAC. The chip is fully compatible withthe automotive voltage requirements.

The CAN transceiver integrated in the AMIS-30523 provides the interface between a CANprotocol controller and the physical bus. Itprovides differential transmit capability to thebus, and differential receive capability to theCAN controller. To cope with the long busdelay the communication speed needs to below. The integrated transceiver allows transmitdata rates down 10kbit/s or lower. The AMIS-30523 generates a programmable output

current up to 1.2A continuous, or 1.6A forshort periods.

The high feature integration of thesedevices, made possible by an advancedprocess technology enabling both high-voltageanalogue circuitry and digital functionality onthe same chip, helps designers to significantlyreduce the bill of materials for mechatronicstepper-motor applications.

ON SEMICONDUCTOR

APPLICATIONS• Single/dual sensorless motor control• Industrial drives• 2- or 4-burner induction hobs• Solar inverters• Digital power supplies• Digital power conversion

FEATURES• 64kbyte to 256kbyte on-chip Flash• Internal and external watchdog timer• Two 12-bit SAR ADCs• One 16-bit sigma-delta ADC• Supply-voltage range: 1.71V to 3.6V • 5V-tolerant I/Os


APPLICATIONS• HVAC-damper controllers• Industrial controls• Manufacturing equipment• Automotive stepper-motor drives

FEATURES• On-chip voltage regulator• Seven step modes from full step up to

32 micro-steps• Full output protection and diagnosis• Thermal warning and shutdown• Compatible with 5V and 3.3V

microcontrollers




Extending the capabilities of Freescale’sdigital signal controllers for industrialmotor-control applications, the latest56F84xx family has a 32-bit core andultra high-performance peripheralsenabling system designers to controlnew motor types using cutting-edgetechniques while also simplifyinghardware design.

The latest 32-bit evolution of the 56F8000eDSP core, powering this new family, retains fullcompatibility with earlier 16-bit cores, and canbe clocked at up to 100MHz. With theseimprovements, the core delivers thecomputational power needed for timely executionof complex motor-control algorithms while alsobeing able to process data and control closed-loop systems effectively.

In addition to this significant increase in coreperformance, the 56F84xx family alsointegrates new peripherals enabling fast,

accurate measurement andcontrol of external events.Integrated on-chip is an ultrahigh-resolution PWMsupporting up to 320-picosecond duty cycles, farexceeding the minimumrequirements for most motor-control applications. There arealso two ultra high-speed 12-bit3.3Msample/s ADCs, deliveringthe performance designersneed to achieve highlyintegrated sensorless vector-control of up to two motors.The combination of increasedcore performance and ultra-

Touch-sensing library supports latest microcontrollerswith capacitive-touch hardware


Freescale's latest touch software maximises advantages for designers using itsTSI-enabled MCUs

Freescale’s fourth-generation XtrinsicTouch-Sensing Software (TSS) suite,version 2.6, now supports an evenlarger microcontroller portfolio byallowing the suite to be used withdevices featuring Freescale’s Touch-Sensing Input (TSI) module for morerobustness, faster sampling time andgreater sensitivity in capacitive touch-sensing systems.


As an innovative touch-sensingsoftware library, the TSS suiteadds value to targetedFreescale silicon. The MCUsnow joining the list ofsupported devices include thenew HCS08 family, KinetisARM® Cortex™-M4 derivativesand ColdFire+ MCUs. Each ofthese families includes the TSImodule, which enablesdesigners to achieve reliable,

high-sensitivity touch detection when using theTSS suite.

Using the TSS suite simplifies user-interfacedesign, enabling customers to develop anapplication within minutes using a broad rangeof tools, including development-board touch-sense kits and demonstration software. Thelatest version also includes an improved touch-detection algorithm that reduces false touchesin environments containing high electricalnoise.

The TSS library offers a complete solutionfor projects requiring capacitive touch sensing,enabling developers to use low-cost

development tools and a complementarylicense for development and distribution. Thisapproach maximises flexibility for engineerscreating a wide variety of human-machineinterfaces.

FREESCALE

25%speed uplift for DSCs aids digital powersystem designers

A wide range of reference designs aids rapid completion ofdigital-power projects

PFC, and high-intensity discharge lighting.The dsPIC33F ‘GS’ DSCs are available in

28- to 100-pin packages, with from 16kbyte to64kbyte of Flash programme memory.

MICROCHIP

APPLICATIONS• Power factor correction• AC/DC power conversion• DC/DC power conversion• Uninterruptible power supplies

FEATURES• 8-channel hardware DMA• Output pins can drive from 3.0V to 3.6V• Watchdog timer with its own RC oscillator• Flexible clock options


APPLICATIONS• Machine controllers• Security panels• Point-of-information systems• Interactive signage

FEATURES• Full API-set support• Configurable rotary, slider and keypad

decoders• Auto-calibration• Noise rejection• Ability to enable and disable keys at

runtime




EVALUATIONBOARDS AT my-boardclub.com/ftm

DETAILSON PAGE

23

Now offering a processing speed of 50MIPS,the dsPIC33F ‘GS’ series will enable designersto create more efficient power supplies and tocontrol their products using a single DSC. As aresult, system designs will benefit from lowerbill-of-materials cost and more features.

The dsPIC33F ‘GS’ series of DSCs includesessential on-chip peripherals for digital-powerapplications, such as an ADC, PWM peripheraland analogue comparators. The ADC operatesat up to 4Msamples/s. The PWM peripheralsprovide resolution of up to 1ns, with modessupporting all power-conversion topologies.

In addition, the DSCs feature up to four on-chip analogue comparators with integratedon-chip DACs, enabling designers to set triplevels dynamically. The analogue comparatorscan be used to directly control the PWMfunctions.

Microchip has announced a 25%performance increase for its dsPIC33F‘GS’ series of Digital Signal Controllers(DSCs) for switch-mode power supplies.

As the new dsPIC33F ‘GS’ DSCs are 100%compatible with existing dsPIC33F ‘GS’ parts,all existing tools and reference designs aresupported. This includes:• The Digital LED Lighting development kit

(DM330014) • The Buck/Boost Converter PICtail™ Plus

daughter board (AC164133) • The 16-bit, 28-pin Starter Board (DM300027)

In addition, Microchip offers a comprehensiveset of royalty-free digital-power referencedesigns, including designs for AC/DC powersupplies, DC/DC converters, solar inverters,uninterruptible power supplies, interleaved


Touchscreen controllers combine multi-touch, hapticfeedback and proximity sensing

Semtech’s range of 10 resistive touch-screen controllers assists developmentof robust user-interfaces by combiningsupport for proximity sensing and hapticfeedback and offering five variantssupporting multi-touch functionality.

This functionality enables various power-savingfeatures such as automatic backlight activationor system wake-up without requiring additionalcomponents.

In addition, the SX8654 and SX8655 featurea haptics motor-driver for controlling a LinearResonant Actuator (LRA) or Eccentric RotatingMass (ERM) micro-motor up to 250mA whileproviding acknowledgement to touch events.This helps product designers to deliver anenhanced user experience by emulating tactilefeedback similar to mechanical keys, withoutrequiring a dedicated microcontroller interface.Short-circuit protection, early-warningcapability and over-temperature monitoring arebuilt in.

The SX8674-SX8678 series adds to thefeatures of the SX8654-SX8658 devices bysupporting multi-touch functions such aspinch, stretch and rotate on a regular 4-wireanalogue resistive touchscreen.

All of the controllers implement a highlyaccurate 12-bit ADC for coordinates andtouch-pressure measurement, and will operatewhile drawing a current as low as 30µA.Standby current is only 0.4µA.

Robust integrated ESD protection, up to±25kV air discharge or ±15kV contactdischarge, is a further feature marking outthese devices as reliable performers capable ofoperating in harsh industrial environments.

SEMTECH

APPLICATIONS• Industrial controllers• Security panels• Point-of-sale terminals• Point-of-information equipment• Automotive AEC-Q100

FEATURES• Extremely low power consumption• Built-in proximity sensing with any resistive

panel (>5cm)• Automatic system/display wake up• Touch panel control (IR replacement)• Support hidden menu

• Integrated haptics motor control (LRA & ERM)

• Enable multi-touch with low cost 4-wiretouch panel



Part Number Multi-touch

ProximitySensing

HapticSupport

SX8654 Yes GenericSX8655 GenericSX8656 YesSX8657 Yes ImmersionSX8658 ImmersionSX8674 Yes Yes GenericSX8675 Yes GenericSX8676 Yes YesSX8677 Yes Yes ImmersionSX8678 Yes Immersion


Non-zero-crossing phototriacs provide high isolationin a small board footprint

Vishay Intertechnology has releasedfive new non-zero-crossing phototriacsin a space-saving package.

The new VOM3053T, VOM3052T andVOM160xT parts, housed in an industry-standard SOP-4 package, are electricallyequivalent to Vishay’s VO305x devices in thesurface-mount DIP-6 package, but occupy upto 66% less board space. Vishay will continueto offer the DIP-6 VO305x series alongside thenew VOM160xT and VOM305xT in the SOP-4.

As well as helping to reduce spacerequirements in end-product designs, the newphototriacs also offer high noise immunity ofup to 1.5kV/µs.

The VOM3052, VOM3053 and VOM160phototriac devices consist of an infra-red LEDoptically coupled to a photosensitive non-zero-crossing TRIAC. LED trigger currents for thedevices are in the range 5-10mA.

The phototriacs isolate low-voltage logicfrom 120VAC, 240VAC, and 380VAC lines toenable the control of resistive, inductive, orcapacitive loads including motors, solenoids,high-current thyristors or TRIACs and relays.

VISHAY

APPLICATIONS• AC solid-state relays• Security alarm systems• Motor control• PLC control

FEATURES• 2.0mm package height • 600V peak blocking voltage • Operating temperature range:

-40°C to 100°C



PartNumber

TriggerCurrent(mA)

Min dV/dt(V/μs)

Max. PeakOff-stateVoltage (V)

IsolationTest

Voltage(VRMS)

VOM3053T 51500

600 3750VOM3052T 10VOM160NT 5

500VOM160PT 7VOM160RT 10

Among the five devices in the SX8654-SX8658series, the SX8654, SX8656 and SX8657 havecapacitive proximity-detection circuitry capableof operating at distances greater than 5cmusing any standard 4/5-wire resistive panel.


The Hirose EV1 series of high-currentwaterproof connectors for powersupplies consists of panel-mountedplugs and receptacles that are able tohandle up to 180A and incorporateinnovations that maximise ease of useand electrical performance.

The EV1 series is conceived to save space inhigh-power equipment. The plug shell andreceptacle housing each havea low profile, and the panelflange on each connectorfeatures an innovativestaggered design to savespace on the panel. Theconnectors are securely fixedto the panel with M6 bolts.

The connector plug acceptscables with a conductor sizeof 20mm2 to 26.6mm2. Thecables are terminated tounique power-crimp contactswhich are quick and easy toterminate using standard JIS

crimping tools. The power-crimp contactshave a plastic tip to provide finger protectionfor safety, meeting the IEC 60601 Test-fingerspecification.

The receptacle can accept a 3mm-thickbus-bar connection which is secured withstandard M6 bolts. Alternatively a cable maybe used, which is terminated to the connectorusing a standard crimp contact and washer.The receptacle features unique contacts withcrown-shaped multiple contact points todecrease contact resistance and to withstandvibration. A plastic cover surrounds the rim of

the contact to provide IEC 60601 test-fingerprotection for safety.

The waterproof structure of the connector isIP68/IPX9K compliant. This is achievedthrough strategically placed gaskets, which areresistant to weather and oil and prevent waterintrusion effectively. A robust shieldingstructure is provided, which maintains secureconnection of the cable, shell and panel forEMI prevention.

HIROSE

APPLICATIONS• Robots• Automotive equipment• Construction equipment• Storage batteries• Industrial machinery

FEATURES• Three-position interconnect• Multiple contact springs and screw lock• 40mm x 92mm flange dimensions• 85mm plug, 41mm receptacle depth• 50 mating cycles lifetime



P.I.E.S E C T I O N

A P P L I C AT I O N S P O T L I G H T

Space-saving high-power connectors boost performance,simplicity and safety

New 30° tilted housing option for POF components

Avago’s HFBR-0500ETZ series of optical link components are now available in a 30°titled package

Avago Technologies has added a new30° tilted package option to its HFBR-0500ETZ series of fibre opticlink components, which includestransmitters, receivers, connectors andcable. These components are ideal foruse in systems which must providehigh levels of voltage isolation orinsulation, EMI immunity ordata security.

A wide variety of packageconfigurations and connectorsprovide the designer withnumerous mechanical options formeeting the requirements of anygiven application. The addition ofthe 30° tilted package adds tothe flexibility and ease of use ofthe HFBR-0500ETZ series. The transmitter and receivercomponents have been designedfor use in high-volume, low-costassembly processes such asauto-insertion and wavesoldering.

This makes it simpler for design engineers tomake the optical calculations required incommon link applications.

AVAGO TECHNOLOGIES

APPLICATIONS• Industrial drives and frequency inverters• Motor controller triggering circuits• Test and measurement instruments• Industrial and manufacturing equipment• Renewable energy generation

FEATURES• 5MBd maximum data rate• Link distance up to 43m at 1MBd and

20m at 5MBd• 6mA peak supply current• Horizontal, vertical or 30° tilted mounting• Transmitters incorporate a 660nm red

LED for easy visibility• Operating teamperatrure: -40°C to 85°C



Versatile Link fibre optic connectors arefeatured in Avago’s Design Note on page 12

Transmitters incorporate a 660nm LED.Receivers include a monolithic DC-coupled,digital IC receiver with an open collectorSchottky output transistor. An internal pull-upresistor is available for use in the HFBR-25x1ETZ and HFBR-25x2ETZ receivers.

The devices’ internal optics have beenoptimised for use with 1mm Plastic OpticalFibre (POF). A shield has been integrated intothe receiver IC to provide additional local noiseimmunity.The specifications of Versatile Link componentstake account of all connector interface losses.

Innovative features of the EV1 series include the bus-bar connection option, space-savingflange design, multiple electrical-contact points and user-safety protection

Board of the Month

TWR-P1025 sets new heights for Freescale’s Tower platformFreescale’s TWR-P1025 is the highestperformance Tower development module onthe market and is available immediately,enabling users to create prototype systems forapplications from wireless-access points toindustrial-control nodes. The TWR-P1025brings a reduction in form factor and costnever before seen aroundFreescale’s QorIQ® familyof communicationprocessors.

The board is basedaround the P1025processor which featuresdual high-performancePower Architecture® e500cores running at 533MHz.The device features32kbyte of L1 cache and256kbyte of L2 cache.Also integrated on-chip isa wide range of communication and memoryinterfaces including Freescale’s QUICC Engine™

module which provides support for Ethernet,UTOPIA and HDLC protocols.

The TWR-P1025 provides various memoryoptions including 512Mbyte of DDR3,64Mbyte of NOR Flash for boot images, I2CEEPROM, a microSD interface and twoUSB2.0 interfaces which can support externalhard drives or other memory devices.

Network connectivity is provided throughtwo Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, a mini-PCIExpress® (PCIe) interface that can be usedwith third-party Wi-Fi® cards to provide WLAN

access, and the USB interfaces, which can beused to support mobile-broadband USBdongles to connect to a cellular network. TheUSB interfaces can also support ZigBee®

adapters for short-range communications.These technologies have been proven in thenumerous demonstration platforms produced

by Freescale around theTWR-P1025, frommachine-to-machinegateways to networkedvideo recorders.

The TWR-P1025 hasa significant softwareecosystem already inplace with debuggersupport throughFreescale’s CodeWarrior®

IDE and Linux, MQX™

and QNX® RTOS Board-Support Packages

(BSPs). The boards are delivered with the U-Boot bootloader and Linux kernel/file systemalready in Flash. The board also supports theOpenWRT interface which allows easyconfiguration of various applications.

The Tower ecosystem provides an excellentprototype environment. The TWR-P1025 canoperate as a standalone board or, if the userrequires additional interfaces, this is possibleusing the primary and secondary elevators thatattach to the sides of the board. The TWR-P1025 elevator connectors support additionaldevice interfaces such as QUICC Engine™

10/100Mbps Ethernet, SPI, I2C, GPIO and also

the P1025 local bus. For example, if a userwishes to add additional Ethernet interfaces,purchasing the TWR-SER2 peripheral boardwill provide up to two Ethernet ports. On theother hand, the TWR-LCD module enables theuser to add a GUI to the system. Towerprototype boards, TWR-PROTO, are also veryuseful for adding custom circuitry when nostandard peripheral module exists for aparticular function.

NXP SemiconductorsEmbedded Digital-SignalController (DSC) designHitex evaluation board for NXPSemiconductors LPC4300 series ARM®

Cortex™-M4/M0 DSCs.Board Reference: OM13031 Response Number: 03

Board References:• Digital LED Lighting Development Kit:

DM330014 • Buck/boost converter PICtail™ Plus

daughter-board: AC164133• 16-bit 28-pin Starter Board: DM300027 Response Number: 31

MicrochipDigital Signal ControllerdevelopmentMicrochips’ tools and reference designsenable designers to quickly leverage thecapabilities and performances of thedsPIC33F ‘GS’ series of Digital SignalControllers.

my-boardclub.com classifieds

FreescaleTWR-P1025: QorIQ® P1 MPUModuleHardware platform for evaluation ofP1025 communications processor.Board Reference: TWR-P1025 Response Number: 36

Future Electronics’ Board Club: supporting innovative electronics designEurope’s electronics industry thrives on the application of innovation and creativity, and anessential innovator’s tool in design projects is the development board. The Board Club website is aFuture Electronics resource for users of development boards. Here, and only here, Board Clubmembers can gain access to exclusive free development boards and development board offers.If you would like to register for membership, please visit: www.my-boardclub.com/register.php

To apply for these free boards go to: www.my-boardclub.com/ftmTerms and conditions apply. Visit www.my-boardclub.com/about_us for details

D E V E L O P M E N T B O A R D S I N T H I S I S S U E

23

OM13031 AC164133DM330014 TWR-P1025

APPLICATIONS• Industrial automation and drives• Gateways, bridges and hubs• Intelligent I/O• WLAN access points• Line card controllers• Test and measurement• Programmable logic controllers

FEATURES• QorIQ® P1025 dual-core processor• Two RGMII Gigabit Ethernet interfaces• 1 x PCIe interface (mini-PCIe+USB)• Two UART interfaces (via mini-USB)• One accelerometer (on I2C)

EVALUATIONBOARDS AT my-boardclub.com/ftm DETAILS

BELOW

my-ftm.com/120736FOR MOREINFORMATION

The TWR-P1025 board increases QorIQ-design options usingthe Tower development system

By Israel ZuckerField Applications Engineer, Future Electronics (Israel)

READ THIS TO FIND OUT ABOUT• Features commonly found in advanced point-of-load buck regulators• Differences in the web-based design tools provided by leading

regulator manufacturers• Comparison of the efficiency of three buck regulators in a test circuit

T E C H N I C A L V I E W


State-of-the-art point-of-load regulators:an application-based comparisonDesign engineers are constantly grappling with the twinchallenges of, on the one hand, supplying power to deviceswith ever more functions and increasingly complex circuitry;and on the other hand, meeting the demand fromgovernments and consumers for ever more efficient andquiet operation.

Designers have been greatly helped at the architectural level by theapplication of Point-of-Load (PoL) voltage regulation, which has deliveredhuge improvements in efficiency. In addition, the general trend insemiconductors towards greater integration has produced power ICsfeaturing on-chip protection and control functions, reducing therequirement for discrete peripheral components and resulting in board-space and cost savings.

Now a new generation of PoL regulators promises to enableunprecedented levels of system efficiency and integration. This articlecompares three examples which are expected to prove popular with thedesign community. It describes the author’s experiences when using thedevices in a test circuit representative of common applications, and theauthor offers his opinion on whether there are material differencesbetween them in efficiency and thermal behaviour, and whether themanufacturer's design tools provide the help that users need.

The three devices under testInternational Rectifier (IR) recently announced the expansion of itsSupIRBuck™ family of integrated PoL voltage regulators, claiming betterefficiency and functionality than previous generations of devices. Thefamily has a common footprint allowing cut-and-paste layout and fasttime-to-production should variants of an end-product require a higher orlower load current.

IR also recently launched an online design tool offering parametricsearch, schematic capture and analysis functions. Its outputs include aBill of Materials (BoM) with exact part numbers, together with cross-references to function-equivalent alternatives.

This article discusses a comparative study of a member of the SupIRBuckfamily, the IR3840, alongside Micrel's MIC26950 Super Switcher II™ andTexas Instruments' TPS56121 Power Block IC. These three devices wereselected because they offer the newest and most advanced features; canperform fast load changes; provide a comprehensive set of protectionfunctions; and are recommended for designs requiring high efficiency.

The comparison starts with an examination of the raw electricalspecifications of each component as stated in their data sheets, asshown in Table 1.

Tested in a typical application circuitThe test circuits were designed to use the smallest possible number ofexternal components, and to optimise electrical performance to keepheat dissipation low. The values of the components in the compensationnetwork affect efficiency and power losses, and need to be consideredcarefully in any given application. The component count includes theinductor, bootstrap capacitor, voltage divider and various capacitors tokeep certain voltages stable; it does not include input and outputcapacitors.

A typical application circuit, as devised by the author, for the IR3840requires 13 external components; for the MIC26950, 9 externalcomponents with no compensation network; and for the TPS56121, 13external components.

An important function of the devices' packaging is to dissipate heatvia the quickest and shortest route to the PCB and to the air. Both IRand Micrel have given their ICs three thermal pads, thus dissipating mostof the heat from the controller, the high-side FET and the synch FETdirectly to the PCB. This design allows the customer to build a densePCB which is easier to populate. TI's device, by contrast, has just one,large thermal pad to dissipate heat. All three components have the samepackage size, but with the following differences:

IR3840: PQFN 15-pin, 5mm x 6mm package; θja = 35°C/WMIC26950: MLF (YJL) 28-pin, 5mm x 6mm package; θja = 36°C/WTPS56121: PQFN 22-pin, 5mm x 6mm package; θja = 34.6°C/W

The thermal impedance from the silicon junction to the outside air (θja) iscalculated assuming the PCB has a thick, 2oz copper layer. A lowerthermal impedance could be achieved by using a thicker and largercopper layer, a large ground layer, and wide input, output and otherpower rails. The trade-off, of course, is that a thick and wide planeincreases the cost, weight and size of the PCB.

Design-tool comparisonWhile the theoretical ceiling for these devices' electrical and thermalperformance is determined by their circuit design and packaging,extracting the best performance in practice depends to a large extent onthe design tools which support them. The tool is required to performcalculations; choose the right inductor and input and output capacitors(more than one is needed in most cases); specify the compensationnetwork; and select the RC snubber. The alternative to using the tool isto perform the calculations and selections manually by reference toequations in the data sheet, together with other reference materials,which is far more difficult and time-consuming.

The design tools provided by IR, Micrel and TI are all web based, andenable the user to save new designs on a remote server and comparethem with previous designs.

Since the design tool has a big impact on the designer's ability tooptimise their circuit for their application, it is useful to be able to seewhether there are material performance differences in the tools providedby IR, Micrel and TI. A fair comparison requires each of the three tools tobe asked to optimise for the same design specifications.

Table 1: Comparison of features and specifications of three leading PoL regulators

IR3840 MIC26950 TPS56121

VCC supply voltage 4.5V – 5.5V 4.5V – 5.5V N/AVIN power stage 1.5V – 16V 4.5V – 26V 4.5V – 14VVOUT 0.7V to 0.9VIN 0.8V – 5.5V 0.6V – 12VIOUT 12A 12A 15AFSW 250kHz – 1.5MHz 300kHz 300kHz; 500kHz; 1MHzOn-resistance 8.4mΩ/5.7mΩ 17mΩ/6.0mΩ 4.5mΩ/1.9mΩVREF and accuracy 0.70V ±1% 0.80V ±1% 0.60V ±1%

Important Features

Pre-bias start-up,thermal protection,

programmable over-current protection,hiccup current limit,

programmableswitching frequency,power-good output.

Foldback current-limit and hiccup-

mode short-circuitprotection.

Thermalshutdown.

Supports safestart-up into a

pre-biased load.Internal

compensation.Any Capacitor™

stable

Programmable soft-start,over-current protection

levels and loopcompensation. Supports

pre-biased output.Thermal shutdown.

High-side and low-sideMOSFET

on-resistance sensing



For the purposes of this article, the following parameters were chosen:Input voltage: 11.5-12.5V or 12VOutput voltage: 3.3VLoad current: 10A

After inputting these basic parameters into the tool, it will present a list ofpotential parts for the circuit. Selecting a part opens a product page,which shows a general description of the component, features andapplications along with links to more detailed technical information, suchas a data sheet, application notes and evaluation board information.

Each tool also provides a link called Start Design. This provides a fastway to generate a design, requiring the user to just choose input,output, and load values; and potentially the switching frequency, if theregulator is not a fixed-frequency device.

IR design-tool outputsThe IR design tool requires the input of a number of different parametersto achieve the most accurate possible simulation of actual performance.In addition to the input and output voltages and the load current,information is also required on output ripple, load step, bandwidth, ripplecurrent in the inductor and maximum voltage deviation.

The tool also asks the user to select a switching frequency: in thisapplication, the best performance is achieved at an operating frequencyof 430kHz. The tool's outputs include a detailed analysis of the losses inthe system and graphs illustrating the circuit's electrical behaviour, asshown in Figure 1.

Micrel design-tool outputsJust like the IR design tool, the Micrel software produces graphsshowing the important electrical characteristics of the device in theuser's application circuit. It lacks, however, the detailed losses analysisthat the IR tool offers (see Figure 2).

In Micrel’s tool, the design requirements are much simpler: just thenominal input voltage together with maximum and minimum ratings,output voltage and load current.

TI design-tool outputsUnlike the IR and Micrel tools, the TI design tool’s outputs include neithergraphs of electrical behaviour nor a power losses analysis.

In many ways, the three manufacturers' design tools operate in asimilar fashion. All of them let the user change the value of a singlecomponent to see its effect on other parameters. Changing the value ofa resistor or capacitor in the compensation feedback loop dramaticallyaffects efficiency, and this effect can easily be seen in the Bode plots.

A particular advantage of the IR tool is the detailed table analysing thesource of losses, making it a remarkably useful tool for the designer whowishes to optimise for efficiency.

Another useful feature is the ability to select a component from a list ofvendors, to test whether it improves performance compared to theexisting BoM.

Micrel's design tool is very similar to the IR tool, but it does not give asummary of all the measurements at the end of the design, which IR’stool produces as a PDF file. The advantage of Micrel's tool is its ability tolayer graphs of electrical performance, one on top of another, to seehow changes in the input and output influence one another.

In this author’s experience, TI's is the fastest tool of the three, but lackssome of the others’ features: efficiency and Bode plots are producedquickly and easily, (see Figure 3), but some other kinds of informationwhich would help the user to optimise the design are not available.

ConclusionThere is remarkably little difference in performance between the threedevices tested here, all three providing very high efficiency and requiringa similar number of supporting components. In the absence ofmeaningful differences in electrical performance, the user might want tochoose the component with the best design support. Here, IR's andMicrel's design tools clearly provide a wealth of features and muchuseful information.


Efficiency

% Load Current Efficiency10% 8750% 96100% 93.6

Fig. 2: Performance analyses for a circuit generated by the MIC26950’s design tool for a 10Aload, and 12V to 3.3V step-down conversion

Fig. 3: Performance analyses for a circuit generated by the TPS56121’sdesign tool for a 10A load, and 12V to 3.3V step-down conversion

Fig. 1: Performance analyses for a circuit generated by the IR3840’s design tool for a 10A load, and 12V to3.3V step-down conversion

Efficiency

%Load Current Efficiency

10% 85.4

50% 94.2

100% 94.0

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By José Ramon NovoaField Applications Engineer, Future Electronics (Spain)

READ THIS TO FIND OUT ABOUT• The benefits of carrying lighting-control signals over a power line• The protocol choices available to designers of PLC-based lighting-

control systems• Modem ICs and communications-controller ICs on the market today

for implementing PLC networks



Intelligent control of large lighting installations, such asstreet lighting and lighting in office buildings, offers animportant way for municipal authorities, governments andlarge corporations to reduce both carbon emissions andelectricity costs. The ideal is to deliver the right amount oflight at the right time in the right place.

In practice, however, today’s control of large lighting schemes is oftencrude: either the bare lamp is controlled by a single switch or dimmer; ora full system is controlled by a single switch or switchboard.

This might seem surprising, since there is no shortage of standardcontrol protocols, of which the best known are DALI, DMX512A and the1-10V analogue scheme. These control systems permit morefunctionality than simple mechanical switches, but they have not beenadopted as widely as originally expected or hoped.

The reason for the limited success of these protocols is not any lackof functionality in these control schemes: they range in sophisticationfrom the simplest, 1-10V, up to DALI, a full two-way communicationprotocol. The problem lies in the difficulty of implementing them. To date,each of these protocols has required its own control cabling runningparallel to the power cabling. This is costly, and difficult in practice forelectrical installers to install correctly, maintain and troubleshoot.

The solution to widening adoption is not to improve the functionality ofthe protocol, but to provide a medium over which it can operate withoutrequiring its own dedicated cabling. And this currently means usingeither the air, through RF technology, or power cabling as the physicalmedium for protocol signals.

Electric utilities drive the marketIt is becoming clear that the communications infrastructures being put inplace by electricity utilities will also be the most cost-effective and easyoption for lighting control schemes. The systems that utilities choose toimplement will benefit from economies of scale, and will result in cheaperICs and more widely available tools and implementation expertise.

And the utilities’ choice of protocol is largely driven by regional factors,

such as local legislation and radio-spectrum availability. Indeed, adistinction is now emerging, with RF predominating in northern-European countries and Power-Line Communication (PLC) in southernEurope.

In both cases, utilities are demanding standardisation andinteroperability. A standards-based technology provides two importantbenefits for customers: first, it encourages multiple vendors to competeto supply components and systems, thus driving down the cost ofequipment: second, it gives equipment suppliers and customers alikethe confidence that their investment in the technology is not going to besidelined or even made obsolete by a competing technology.

RF is already a highly standardised domain, from cellphonetechnologies through to industrial-focussed protocols such as ZigBee®, andconsumer-focussed protocols such as Bluetooth® or RF4CE.

But how far has the electronics industry progressed with standardisingPLC technology for lighting-control applications? Lighting manufacturersalready sell a wide range of equipment that supports the lighting-controlprotocols such as DMX512A and DALI. The challenge is to fix on a PLCcarrier protocol that will support the data-rate, timing and otherrequirements of these lighting-control protocols.

To date, however, PLC protocol development has been driven by therequirements of electricity suppliers for metering applications, not by thelighting industry’s need for lighting control applications. And today,metering is a far simpler application than lighting-control, since it must

merely read a serial digital interface foreach node and send it via the network toa control centre.

In fact, as things stand, no single PLCstandard has become dominant, and sothe PLC equipment market has not yetachieved full interoperability, although thiswill happen in time because the electricutilities will demand it. For instance, thePoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution(PRIME) PLC protocol is supported byseveral chip manufacturers. Theseinclude the ADD1021 system-on-chipfrom ADD, which offers a data rate of128kbits/s.

So PRIME might emerge as adominant PLC standard although it is nota good fit for lighting control applications:it is best suited to metering requirements,as it works in the CENELEC Band Awhich is reserved for electricity utilities.

Lighting control complexityUnlike a PLC metering application, then,lighting control over the power linerequires the two-way communication ofcomplex instructions and constantlychanging information.

Fig. 1: Control signals of a Philips Xitanium® LED-driver module

Controlling lighting via the power line:



At the least, the system must be able to: • Switch a relay• Generate an analogue output for a 1-10V driver• Generate and read digital serial data to connect to DALI systems • Read analogue inputs to verify line voltage, light, temperature and

current • Read other kinds of serial data such as serial numbers and power

consumption

An example of the kind of equipment to which a PLC system mightinterface is shown in Figure 1. This Philips LED-driver module includesnot only the mains input and 350mA constant-current output, but alsoprovides two wires connected to the LEDs to monitor the temperature ofthe light source, two inputs to set the thermal protection and auto-dimming features, and two wires for dimming using the 1-10V protocol.

Some drivers support DALI instead of, or as well as, the 1-10Vinterface. These, too, are suitable for hard-wired PLC lighting systems,and the DALI protocol itself provides a network address for each node –an important function in lighting control.

But if the PLC protocol provides addressing capability in the networksoftware, at a level above the physical interface, the lighting controlapplication can use the 1-10V interface, which is a far simpler systemthan DALI, to connect the PLC communications module to the driver.

So does network and application software exist today to implementsuch a system?

Let us understand the requirement first. The network software mustnot just read a node, as is the case with a typical metering application:full two-way communication is required, and this is particularly difficult ona power line, in which communication is asymmetric and time-variantand the physical medium isextremely noisy. The networksoftware’s job is to control allcommunications and offer atransparent PLC channel to thedeveloper through a simpleApplications Programming Interface(API).

It should also support networktopologies such as tree or mesh,which enable the communicationchannel to survive physicaldisturbances such as noise,accidental damage, tampering andmanual disconnection.

A good example of such anetwork software implementation isthe Y-Net protocol stack from ICmanufacturer Yitran, which issuitable for a variety of command-and-control applications (see Figure2). The Y-Net stack can beimplemented on the IT700 IC fromYitran, which uses advanced DCSKmodulation for robustcommunication at speeds up to7.5kbits/s.

Manufacturers of electronicsproducts such as lightingdriver/power modules might becomfortable designing the IT700into an embedded communications circuit. But Yitran also offers aneasier implementation method with its IT700 Plug-in Module (PIM). Thiscomes complete with an analogue front-end, microcontroller and power-supply interfaces and line coupler. Yitran also provides a ready-to-usepower supply for the module. The module is available in a wide range offrequencies for use in North America, Japan and Europe.

An alternative protocol stack is the Embedded CommunicationsSoftware Stack (ECSS) from ADD Semiconductor. ECSS providesphysical-layer interface and medium access-control functionality. ECSScan be implemented in the ADD1010 SoC, which offers eightprogrammable carrier frequencies across the CENELEC A, B and Cbands, and programmable data rates up to 4.8kbits/s.

Cypress Semiconductor, with its CY8CPLC10 and CY8CPLC20 seriesof integrated PLC systems-on-chip, also provides software support for avariety of lighting-control applications.

PLC lighting-control ready for implementation?At the technical level, then, it is clear that it is practically possible toimplement a system that controls a complete lighting installation over thepower line. IC manufacturers such as Yitran, ADD Semiconductor andCypress offer PLC SoCs and (in Yitran’s case) modules as standardparts implementing a protocol stack that supports lighting-controlapplications.

The question for makers of luminaires, driver modules and otherlighting equipment is, then, not technical but commercial: in the absenceof a dominant standard for PLC networking of lighting systems, is itworthwhile to risk developing products supporting a PLC protocol thatmight never gain a critical mass of industry support?

And will the protocol be sufficiently appealing to the city councils,maintenance companies, utility companies and end-users that mustdevelop and maintain their control application on top of the networkprotocol? ADD, for instance, supports the design of indoor applicationsoftware with its c@sa development environment. But again, will thisgain a critical mass of industry expertise and knowledge?

In truth, there is no easy answer: as always in the emergence of astandard technology, pioneers arerequired to innovate and show whatcan be done, while more cautiouscompanies will wait to follow others’lead.

So clearly there is a danger ofproducing equipment that becomesobsolete because of lack of industrysupport for the chosen protocol, butequally, there is a huge opportunityfor the early developers ofsuccessful equipment, becausethere is such strong demand forintelligent, sophisticated control ofstreet lighting and lighting in largebuildings. At the very least, the Y-Netand ECSS protocols are technicallywell qualified to become lighting-industry standards and it could bethat a few pioneering lighting-equipment manufacturers will provethat one should be dominant.

On the other hand, failure to movetowards a standardised approachcould breathe new life into theexisting wired standards such asDali and DMX as specifiers leantowards a protocol that allowsinteroperability of equipment, even ifit costs more to implement.


practical possibility or still a pipedream?

Fig. 2: Y-Net PLC protocol stack is based on the OSI 7-layer reference model

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