POWER AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN WIRELESS EARBUD AND CHARGING CRADLE A


MS has introduced an


interface technology which enables power and communication between a true wireless earbud and


a charging cradle over a two-wire connection. Previously it required as many as six pins to provide both power transfer and communication between the charging cradle and the


earbud, compromising the mechanical design of a small form factor that fits comfortably in the user’s ear. The ams POW:COM interface


technology enables simultaneous data communication with 1kBit/s net data rate and over 150mA charging current supported, far more than applications need today. The communications capability


provided by this latest interface supports an enhanced user


experience of the charging cradle. For instance, the earbud can request the battery information from the charger cradle and display it on a mobile app. It also allows the earbud


manufacturer to implement other useful features, such as auto- recharge, automatic pairing of the earbuds with the user’s phone on opening the charging cradle’s case, and accessory firmware updating while charging.


“The POW:COM interface


radically reduces the constraints on the design of true wireless earbuds,” said Christian Feierl, marketing manager at ams. “If the earbud only needs to accommodate a two-pin connection to the cradle rather than six pins, the designer has much more flexibility to reduce the size of the earbud or to use the space on the surface of the earbud in a way which brings more value to users.” www.ams.com


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NEW PLATFORM HELPS SPEED PCB DESIGN MANUFACTURABILITY


Cadence Design Systems, Inc. has launched an ecosystem with nine initial PCB manufacturing partners, to help ensure PCB design manufacturability early in the design process. This is claimed, will help reduce rework, shorten design cycles, and will aim to accelerate new product introduction. The company advises its customers have received savings from half to two- thirds fewer technical queries (TQs) from manufacturers when they’ve used its DesignTrue DFM (design for manufacturability) technology due to using tailor-made spacing, annular ring, copper features and mask rules to assure they are designing the board correctly the first time. The Cadence DesignTrue DFM functionality flags


manufacturing rule violations in real time during the PCB layout process with both the Allegro and OrCAD design tools. Typically


with other PCB design tools you have to wait until the design is complete to do DFM signoff on manufacturing outputs, which often requires significant rework and schedule delays. Nine PCB manufacturers have already become Cadence


DesignTrue partners, allowing them to distribute their manufacturing rules to customers. These include Bay Area Circuits, CircuitHub, Mass Design, Multek, OSH Park, Rocket EMS, Sierra Circuits, Tempo Automation and Würth Elektronik. Through the new web portals, you can access the latest DFM


rules from the PCB manufacturers at the start of your design process. You can view participating manufacturers and request DesignTrue DFM technology files directly, eliminating the lengthy and error-prone manual entry of hundreds of rules. www.cadence.com


A new high-end wideband I/Q data recorder from Rohde & Schwarz enables realistic device tests in the lab. The R&S IQW wideband I/Q data recorder can be used to record signal scenarios typically required in test cases at a bandwidth up to 512MHz and high sampling rates. The solution records wideband RF signals and reproduces them to simulate real- world test environments, enabling realistic, repeatable device tests in the lab.


www.rohde-schwarz.com T


his month we start with a focus on how automotive radars can now be tested by using a signal and spectrum analyser, on p8. The hybrid powertrain/drivetrain of the latest electric vehicles goes under scrutiny on p9. Speaking with a highly experienced UK electronics design consultancy could save you considerable time and money on p12. Lean more about digital displays, data logging and custom instrumentation solutions on p15, plus don’t miss our insight into the growing value proposition of wireless charging on p19, along with more of the latest industry news and views. Michelle Winny Editor


4 SEPTEMBER 2018 | ELECTRONICS


instrument clusters, centre stack and heads-up display systems. Instrument clusters are expected to migrate to 12.3” displays soon. As a result, automotive infotainment system designers will require power solutions with precision, flexibility and small overall solution size to meet increasingly complex system requirements. The MAX20069 supports larger screen sizes and higher resolution


BIGGER, BRIGHTER


DISPLAYS Higher resolution displays for automotive applications have just got easier with one of the industry’s first solutions integrating four I2


C-


controlled, 150mA LED backlight drivers and a four-output thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD) bias in a single chip. This IC solution from Maxim Integrated Products could reduce design footprint up to one-third. Market research suggests a 39 percent compound annual growth rate for the 8-inch display market in vehicle


by providing positive analogue supply voltage (PAVVD) and negative analogue supply voltage (NAVDD), both of which are required for low-temperature polysilicon panels (LTPS) that deliver higher resolution and lower cost than amorphous silicon panels now currently in use. The IC also supports the high currents that next-generation displays require, with 150mA per channel in the four-channel LED driver for 8” or larger displays and higher resolutions. The MAX20069 operates over 400 C ambient temperature range


C to -1050


and is available in a 6mm x 6mm TQFN package.


www.maximintegrated.com / ELECTRONICS


A series of compact, single output AC- DC power supplies has been released by Powersolve, designed to provide as much as 300W output. They feature a wide operating temperature range of - 30⁰ to 85⁰C (with some derating). The six model PSY280 series are open baseplate units with a tiny 2 x 4” (50.8 x 101.6mm) footprint and a height of 1.31in (33.5mm). Operating from a wide 90 to 264VAC input range with active PFC, models in the PSY280 series provide single fixed output voltages of 12V, 18V, 24V, 30V, 48V or 54V DC, providing up to 150W convection cooled, 180W conduction cooled through baseplate and 250W with fan cooling. With both conduction and forced air cooling, a PSY280 unit can give up to 300W output power. A 12V, 0.3A fan supply is a standard feature.


www.powersolvemobile.com


IoT expert SensiEDGE has announced a new SensiSUB system-on-module (SoM) starter kit, a board-level IoT sensor node. The company advises this has been built upon its Bluetooth- enabled SensiBLE IoT SoM, SensiSUB, which delivers higher range and more reliable frequency bands to penetrate obstacles and reduce interference. The new device is ideal for advanced Internet of Things (IoT) applications, including smart factory, smart home, smart grid and smart city deployments.


www.sensiedge.com


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