Energy harvesting: a thin film approach - EE Times Europe

european 

business press 

www.electronics-eetimes.com 

September 2012 

Energy harvesting: 

a thin film approach 

Executive interview: 

James Dyson on innovation 

Special focus: 

Optoelectronics 

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CONTENTS september 2012 

opinion 

DESIGN & PRODUCTS 

4 

50 

6 

8 

12 

13 

14 

Uncommon Market: Apple v. Samsung: rights and 

wrongs 

Last Word: Keeping open source software free 

news & TECHNOLOGY 

Investigating nano-electromechanical 

relay-based 

computing 

Optogan’s formula for 

success: Russian IP, German manufacturing 

In the globalized business of LED manufacturing, 

large Asian and American 

companies define the rules 

and set the pace. Unusually 

enough in the semiconductor 

business, Russian company 

Optogan does not only join in 

but it keeps growing. 

Patents drive innovation 

Despite all the legal battles 

between Samsung and 

Apple, patents are a key way 

of protecting investors and 

encouraging the exploitation 

of innovation, says the 

UK’s leading engineer, James 

Dyson. 

Wireless power outlets designed to support the 

IPv6 Internet protocol 

Lithium-ion battery pilot production line established 

by German research center 

Innovative LED geometry could increase light output 

by factor of ten 

Light-emitting foils could 

offer cost-effective OLED 

alternative 

Researchers from the university 

of umea (Sweden) 

have produced organic lightemitting 

electrochemical cells 

(LECs) using a roll-to-roll 

compatible process under ambient air conditions. 

18 

21 

23 

25 

26 

28 

31 

34 

36 

SPECIAL FOCUS: 

- ENERGY HARVESTING 

 

Energy harvesters: a thin film approach 

During IDTechEx’ last 

energy harvesting and 

Storage Europe conference 

held in Berlin, thin 

piezoelectric and low footprint 

thermoelectric materials 

were cited in many 

new energy harvesting research programs. 

Turning waste heat from 

industrial piping into 

electrical energy 

The EverGen PowerStrap 

thermoelectric-based 

energy harvesting solution 

produces multiple watts of 

power from industrial piping waste heat. 

Piezo wireless switch: No battery, no cable, no wear 

Self-charging piezo-power cell converts and stores 

energy chemically in a single unit 

UK leads in energy efficiency rankings as Germany 

pushes ahead 

- OPTOELECTRONICS 

Merging the benefits of CCD 

and CMOS for imaging 

Over the last decades, the 

imager world has seen 

numerous publications on 

the comparison of CCD and 

CMOS imaging technologies. 

Enhancing automotive safety through advanced IR 

sensor technology 

- DATA ACQUISITION 

Voice input processing 

for automotive speech 

recognition systems 

Low power system 

design optimizations with SAR A/D Converters 

15 

16 

First microwave laser to operate at room 

temperature 

Custom designed wireless links 

The 2012 VLSI Symposia which 

took place last summer in 

Honolulu came as an opportunity 

for researchers to unveil new 

short-range wireless link concepts. 

46 

49 

Reader offer 

This month, RTX is giving 

away 5 RTX4100 Wi-Fi 

development kits worth 

USD 399 each for EETimes 

Europe’s readers to win. 

distribution corner 

3 Electronic Engineering Times Europe September 2012 www.electronics-eetimes.com

UNCOMMON MARKET 

Apple v. Samsung: rights and wrongs 

By Rick Merritt 

BOTH APPLE AND SAMSUNG — are right—and wrong—and 

here’s what I think both sides ought to do to get some sanity 

back into the mobile industry and the patent process. There’s 

enough greatness and pettiness to go around in the cramped 

courtroom of Judge Lucy Koh of San Jose Federal Court where 

Apple and Samsung are suing each other for patent infringement. 

Apple deserves some kind of acknowledgement for creating 

something unique with the iPhone, a distinctive looking 

handset that put Web access in your pocket along with a phone 

and music wrapped in easy to use software. In its own way, the 

equally distinctive iPad also was different from tablets that went 

before in its clear focus on consumer Web browsing with really 

easy-to-use software. 

But how do you express that in the arcane language of a 

patent? The patent system is encrusted with obtuse procedures 

and stiff, vague language. It needs a course with Strunk and 

White, the masters of crisp writing and thinking. As many have 

noted, patents have become a quantity game, not a quality 

metric. 

Apple did a reasonable job trying to write patents on all the 

neat little ideas it put 

into its casings and 

coded into software. 

But they should not 

have been written as 

a few dozen patents, 

rather they should 

have been written as 

a few dozen claims in 

one iPhone patent. 

Imagine an iPhone 

patent with claims 

on the shape of the 

device, the metal 

bezel, the big screen, 

the colorful, well-lit 

icons on a black 

background that 

bounce back and snap to the screen. Imagine them written in 

plain English rather than fusty patent-ese. 

There would be no problem for a jury of average San Jose 

Joes and Janes determining whether or not such a patent was 

violated. 

Excuse me, now, while I proceed to take Apple off its holierthan-thou 

pedestal. I am as touched by anyone by the emotional 

language of Steve Jobs that still lives on at Apple and has 

been invoked often in Judge Koh’s courtroom, but let’s tell the 

other side of that story. 

The lofty language of Steve Jobs also acts as a drug to dupe 

talented Apple employees into overworking and living unbalanced 

lives. It has been used to brainwash Apple employees 

into believing they are somehow better than other people that 

put their pants on one leg at a time. 

Get real, Apple! You don’t own the rectangle with rounded 

corners. You didn’t invent the smartphone, capacitive touch 

screen displays or browsers on handsets. 

You aren’t the only creators of beauty on Planet Earth. 

Compared to Samsung you don’t do much work on forwarding 

the fundamental technologies that give us the LCDs, batteries, 

communications networks and microprocessors we need to 

make cool gadgets of all kinds. 

That said, you used all those components damn well. So give 

yourself a pat on the back, and take that chip off your shoulder 

while you are doing it. 

And while you’re getting humble, let’s hear a little more 

candor about how the electronics industry uses lowcost labor. It 

didn’t start with you by any means, but maybe you can use your 

clout and fat bankroll to bring some meaningful reforms to labor 

practices. After all, your complex designs that require lots of 

hand assembly have certainly pushed the edge of this dark side 

of the Industrial Revolution 2.0. 

Samsung’s side of the street 

Samsung’s documents (displayed in court) showing featureby-feature 

comparisons of its unreleased S1 handset and the 

iPhone are shameful. Each page makes nearly explicit recommendations 

for aping features on which Apple has patents. 

This is aggressive competition gone way overboard. It is 

copying patented 

technology. You did 

it. You gained the 

lead in the smartphone 

market in part 

because you did it, 

and you deserve 

to be reined in with 

some sort of punishment. 

We expected to 

see clunky no-name 

clones of the iPhone 

come out of China 

a month after the 

iPhone was released, 

and we did. We 

didn’t expect this 

slavish professionalized copying from Samsung. 

Still, the lights stay on pretty late in Seoul where they develop 

some of the world’s finest chip technology, displays, batteries 

and much more. There are hundreds of hard working engineers 

in this company and they deserve their due. In becoming one of 

its largest customers, Apple has already paid Samsung a form 

of silent respect. 

When this trial is over, Samsung probably owes Apple a 

check, though it may not be for as much as $2.5 billion. Indeed, 

Samsung showed some pretty compelling evidence of how the 

iPhone appears to infringe some of pretty broad mobile patents 

it owns. 

Speaking of what’s owed in all this, Apple could write one to 

the diligent workers at Foxconn who help it amass its “iFortune” 

along with Apple’s retail staff that reportedly works for an average 

of about $12 an hour. 

After observing the maneuvering in a San Jose court, one 

thing seems clear: It’s time to put an end to this patent madness. 


NEWS & TECHNOLOGY 

Investigating nano-electro-mechanical 

relay-based computing 

By Julien Happich 

A consortium led by IBM has been awarded €2.44M by the 

European commission to investigate nano-electro-mechanical 

relay based computing for ultra-low power computing applications. 

The goal within the NEMIAC project (Nano-Electro- 

Mechanical Integration And Computation) is to build the world’s 

first ever miniaturised electro-mechanical relay based processor. 

Nano-electro-mechanical (NEM) relays have practically zero 

leakage, an abrupt turn-on transient and a high on-current, and 

can also be integrated with CMOS at the 

die or wafer level. This makes them promising 

candidates for digital logic implementation 

in ultra-low power applications, 

explains Dinesh Pamunuwa, Lecturer 

in Nanotechnology in the Engineering 

Department of the Lancaster University 

and also in charge of the project’s communication. 

“Building a functioning NEM relay 

based processor, one would go the full 

circle, effectively using electro-mechanical 

switches as the basic building block some 

200 years after Babbage proposed his 

original fully mechanical calculator continues 

Pamunuwa. 

Several research initiatives have been 

pursuing NEM relay based logic, and 

many innovative relay architectures have 

been proposed that realise logic functionality 

in widely different ways, ranging from 

combining a basic 3-terminal switching 

element in the manner of MOSFETs to 

multi-terminal relays and multiple-valued logic implementations. 

However the main stumbling block in this technology is 

limited switching cycles due to contact material failure. Stiction 

caused by surface forces, and material transfer is the main 

cause. The relay architecture is also key in ensuring structural 

reliability and ensuring scalability. NEM relays that operate on 

multiple voltage levels to realise complex logic functionality, 

require multiple contacts to be made and have complex timing 

sequences are generally not conducive to manufacturability and 

repeatability. 

The approach to be explored within NEMIAC - www.nemiac. 

eu - is based on an in-plane curved cantilever architecture proposed 

by IBM that optimises the electrostatic field distribution 

and beam stiffness and allows miniaturisation. 

The inclined cantilever design also prevents the beam landing 

on the gate due to the different angles of motion of the drain 

electrode and the beam. The relay is fabricated using a sacrificial 

layer, which ensures precise control of the air gap, with 

uniformity throughout the length of the beam. 

It also makes possible air gaps smaller than the lithographically 

defined limit, which in turn allows precise control of the 

electric fields and reduced footprints. In this case, the contact is 

realised with platinum silicide and gold. 

So far, several functioning microscale switches have been 

demonstrated with various footprints, showing “on” resistances 

in the order of 5kohm. The target within the project is to achieve 

a device footprint of 3μm×3μm, a mechanical latency of 50ns 

with an operating voltage of 5V, and a reliability of 10 billion 

switching cycles. 

Using this 3-terminal relay as a primitive, digital logic can 

SEM image of a 15.5-μm-long curved cantilever switch. 

be realised by adopting a complementary style approach, with 

pull-up and pull-down networks connecting the output to Vdd 

or ground. Both networks are required as the relay can only be 

configured to pass a ‘0’ or ‘1’ depending on whether the common 

source terminal (beam) is grounded or connected to Vdd, 

as NEM relays are ambipolar, and the actuation depends on the 

voltage difference between the gate and beam. 

A design library of combinational and sequential gates will 

be constructed using circuit architectures that are tailored to 

the NEM relay characteristics. For example, one way to take 

advantage of the ohmic contact and relatively low output impedance 

is to have a higher fan-out than would be possible with 

minimum-sized CMOS devices. The intended final demonstrator 

is a 4-bit microprocessor with a reliability of 1 million switching 

cycles. 

Researchers from several universities and labs are taking 

part in this project, including from the University of Bristol and 

the University of Lancaster (UK), from IBM Research in Zurich 

and from the Nanoelectronic Device Laboratory (NanoLab) of 

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland), from 

ST Microelectronics in Agrate (Italy), and from the KTH Royal 

Institute of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden). 


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OPTOELECTRONICS 

Optogan’s formula for success: Russian IP, 

German manufacturing 

By Christoph Hammerschmidt 

In the globalized business of LED manufacturing, large 

Asian and American companies define the rules and set the 

pace. European competitors such as Osram and Philips 

struggle to keep up. Unusually enough in the semiconductor 

business, Russian company Optogan does not only join in but it 

keeps growing. With Optogan General Manager Global Sales & 

Marketing, Markus Zeiler, EE Times Europe discussed the company’s 

recipe for success in this highly competitive market. 

EETimes Europe: It is rather uncommon that a company with 

Russian roots succeeds in Western Europe’s high tech markets. 

What is the story behind Optogan? 

Markus Zeiler: The company has been launched 2004 in Helsinki 

by three Russian physicists and entrepreneurs who formerly 

worked at the Joffe Institute, one of the world’s leading institutes 

in the field of solid state physics. At the Joffe institute 

where Nobel laureate Zhores Ivanovich Alferov worked at the 

professorship, they conducted breakthrough research on epitaxy 

for LED crystals. They also worked for Western companies 

and were involved in the development of epitaxy processes 

for blue LEDs. From there, they filed for their first patents and 

launched their first company. 

As early as 2005 they moved to Dortmund, Germany. In the beginning, 

the company was funded by a Finnish venture capital. 

Later, they also received financial support from Denmark and 

the EU. After a couple of years, the first large investors joined in. 

One of them was Unixim, a Russian VC fund; another was the 

Russian nanotechnology fund Rusnano. Thus, the seat of the 

company moved to St. Petersburg from where it staged market 

entry in Russia. About one and a half year ago, I accepted the 

task of shaping Optogan’s international market appearance. 

We are a European company with locations in Russia, Finland 

and Germany; we run our semiconductor production in 

Landshut in Bavaria. This is a clear differentiator against our 

competitors in Asia, and our customers reward this approach. 

Within twelve months we received more then 500 inquiries from 

distributors across Europe, enabling us to select the ones that 

best suit us. Recently we launched operations in Italy, Romania 

and Turkey. We’re making progress. 

EETimes Europe: It is certainly not easy to assert oneself against 

Asian competitors who produce in very high quantities, driving 

price levels down, sometimes with politics coming into play. 

M. Zeiler: Sure, it is a challenge. We build our strategy on innovation 

and quality. Customers increasingly find out that not 

all LEDs are equal and that quality makes a difference. And we 

combine quality with slim, cost-effective manufacturing processes. 

Being cost-conscious is a precondition if you manufacture 

in Germany, but we also offer modular product concepts to 

make things easy for our customers. 

Stages the international expansion for LED manufacturer 

Optogan: Markus Zeiler, General Manager Global Sales & 

Marketing 

EETimes Europe: Innovation is not sufficient in itself. Could you 

elaborate your approach? 

M. Zeiler: Our chip technology is based on IP from the professorship 

of professor Alferow – nobel award technology, if you 

will. With this basis we can well compete in the market, and 

we further develop it with subsidies from Skolkovo, in a sense 

the Russian pendant of the Silicon Valley. Our unit there, “New 

Technologies of Light”, is conducting research and development 

for a kind of “People’s LED lamp” – a highly integrated solution 

at a low price level. 

In this context it is certainly a relevant factor that in Russia the 

so called “energy saving lamp”, the CCFL, never was a market 

success, its market share never climbed above 4 percent. For 

this reason, the Russians migrate from the incandescent bulb 

directly to the LED. This is a huge open market, in particular for 

highly integrated solutions. 


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EETimes Europe: Highly integrated 

– does this mean that you 

integrate the driver circuitry onto 

the LED chip? 

M. Zeiler: Yes, for instance. This is 

one option. Also the connecting 

technology is designed to be as 

slim as possible. We always have 

solutions that are different. In addition, 

we have many promising 

contacts with large OEMs which 

are interested in our technology. 

If you look at the details, in the 

high-volume retrofit market it even 

makes sense to run a production 

in Europe – if you have a high 

degree of automation. 

EETimes Europe: Where are your 

manufacturing locations? 

M. Zeiler: Everything but the chips 

are produced in St. Petersburg. 

In Dortmund we have R&D and a 

pilot production. Our high volume 

production is here in Landshut 

where we can use existing infrastructure 

(from LFoundry), clean rooms etc. We can rent the 

infrastructure with an option for further enlargement, ideal for 

mass production. 

EETimes Europe: What’s your estimate of the LED market development 

for the future? Do you think LEDs will quickly displace 

CFLs? 

M. Zeiler: Yes and no. Quickly in the sense of the traditional 

lighting business, yes. This could happen in a time frame of 

three to five years while it took some 25 years for the CFL to 

gain significant market share in conventional lighting. But one 

should not expect a complete changeover. In certain market 

segments such as automotive or laptop display backlighting, 

LEDs conquered the markets very quickly. In general lighting, 

this won’t happen at the same speed. The established lighting 

companies do not move that fast. This is a clash of the cultures 

– conventional lighting and the fast-moving semiconductor 

industry. 

EETimes Europe: Which market segments do you expect to 

grow the fastest? In which applications do LEDs gather acceptance 

most rapidly? 

Slim, cost effective processes and leading solid-state IP are the two main pillars of Optogan’s 

technology strategy. 

M. Zeiler: The automotive market is almost saturated with LEDs. 

Therefore, we are not active in automotive lighting. We have a 

clear focus on general lighting and see the highest potential in 

industrial lighting. In this segment, customers can achieve an 

ROI in less than three years in some cases. In the consumer 

segment we are not so present but we prepare our first concepts. 

Here the focus is high lumen per watt and more specifically, 

high lumen per dollar. 

To address the outdoor lighting market, we have launched a 

joint venture with Philips which covers the market for street 

lighting in Russia, Belarus and Kazahkstan. In this joint venture, 

R&D is in the hands of our partner. For this reason, street lighting 

is a “dead spot” on our R&D map. 

EETimes Europe: Which technology trends in the LED lighting 

segments do you find most interesting at the current point of 

time? 

M. Zeiler: We bet very strongly on modular concepts that embrace 

the entire product chain from components to the complete 

lamp. In these concepts, complete solutions with tiered 

drivers and heat sinks play a major role. In addition, we see a 

trend to ever-higher integration. The customers are increasingly 

looking for reduced component count through higher integration. 

EETimes Europe: Is the ability to control dimming a factor in the 

market acceptance? 

M. Zeiler: Yes – for example in the markets for home lighting 

where dimming is a popular feature for retrofit lamps. We also 

see an increasing interest for dimming in industrial applications: 

it enables users to dim down the lighting in storage halls as long 

as nobody works in there and when an employee with a fork 

lift enters the place the illumination is turned up. This is also 

relevant for dynamic sports areas lighting. End users can save a 

lot of money with dimming solutions. 

EETimes Europe: Are there any standard interfaces and industrial 

standards that will gain importance in lighting technology? 

M. Zeiler: Of course, for us the Zhaga standard is relevant. We 

offer all components and interfaces necessary to position ourselves 

in this environment. In industrial markets, it is important 

to comply with the DMX / DALI standards. When it comes to 

retrofits, however, the Zhaga standard does not help you along; 

in this field we need to drive the integration by ourselves and 

develop our own ideas. 



EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW 

Patents drive innovation 

By Nick Flaherty 

Despite all the legal battles between Samsung and 

Apple, patents are a key way of protecting investors and encouraging 

the exploitation of innovation, says the UK’s leading 

engineer, James Dyson. More has to be done to generate more 

engineers, more patents and more innovation in Europe over the 

next 20 years. 

“I get very depressed and alarmed when I hear people have 

copied technology, infringed the patent and got away with it 

because I know it will encourage plagiarism and discourage 

innovation,” he said. “If you don’t have patents you won’t have 

innovation.” 

Patents do not stifle 

innovation, he says. “I see 

patents as a way of increasing 

competition not least 

because when someone has 

discovered a way of doing 

something and patented it, 

if you want to compete with 

them you have to develop 

your own way of competing 

and develop your own 

technology, not copy theirs,“ 

he said. “If someone takes 

the risk of spending lots of 

time and lots of money in 

developing technology and 

a lot of money going into 

production and making a 

success of it, if people are 

able to copy it then no one 

will conduct innovation, no 

one will do research and 

development.” 

The defence of “prior art” isn’t necessarily helpful, he says, 

as a patent is just as much about making the ideas work in 

practice, not just protecting the idea. 

Dyson, who founded his consumer electronics company in 

1992 and now employs 1000 engineers in the UK, sees Europe 

as falling behind countries like China and India in innovation. 

“If you look at the number of patents filed in the UK and in 

Germany, it’s not that we are filing fewer patents,” he said. “The 

problem is that our competitors like China, Korea and India are 

filing an increasing number of patents, so the problem is that we 

will be left behind.” 

While the quality of patents in the US and Europe is higher, 

this will change with countries like China producing very large 

numbers of engineers. “We can’t stay as we are, we have to redouble, 

more than re-double, our efforts to develop new technology, 

train new engineers and scientists in order to maintain 

our position,” he said. 

“There are several things we need to do. The first is to 

increase the number of engineers. We are under-producing the 

numbers we need in Britain by 50% and the same is true in 

Germany. Iran and Mexico produce twice as many engineering 

graduates as Britain so we are under-producing and industry is 

short of engineers. 

“The second problem is that governments need to recognise 

that in order to win world markets you have to produce better 

technologies than your competitors because if you can’t you 

have nothing to export,” he said. 

Part of this comes from providing the right environment for 

innovation to thrive, he says, from training engineers to backing 

innovation and research. “Developing new technology is very 

risky and you have to acknowledge that and incentive people to 

develop it,” he said. “You have to have the right sort of structure 

to encourage it but you do have to encourage individuals. A lot 

of new technology and risk taking happens because an individual 

wants to do it and drives the business through, so I think 

you need to encourage that as well.” 

One example of this is the James Dyson Awards, which run 

every year to find the best young engineers. The 2012 awards 

were announced last week (30th August) and includes projects 

from 18 countries, from a retrofit LED bulb, that due to its innovative 

heatsink, reaches a light output equivalent to 175W and 

an eye-controlled camera to earplugs with built-in alarms. 

“Innovation is innate,” said Dyson. “We employ a lot of 

graduates and you just allow them to develop their technology, 

develop their ideas and when you see them, take them and run 

with them. We want to change things. 

It’s not hard to inspire young engineers, he says. “Allowing 

them to take risks and making sure it goes into production, 

that’s all you have to do as young people have that innovation 

and desire to change the world, you just have to use it,” he said. 

Dyson is also looking at long term research that will generate 

innovation and patents over the next 15 to 20 years. 

“We are investing in new materials, things that can be substrates 

for chips, looking 15 to 20 years into the future because 

you have to,” he said. “Electric motors are a very interesting 

area of development, as are robotics, batteries and sound, but 

electronics is only an enabler. The technology that goes with it 

is much harder,” he said. 


POWER DESIGN 

Wireless power outlets designed to 

support the IPv6 Internet protocol 

By Paul Buckley 

A new Internet-enabled power outlet was developed by 

researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication 

Systems ESK in Munich will allow users to control household 

appliances via their smartphone, and reduce their energy costs 

into the bargain. 

The smart socket was developed in collaboration with the 

Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics 

ITWM in Kaiserslautern and the industrial 

partner embedded brains GmbH. 

The solution means that soon there will be 

no need for special timers to switch lighting 

on and off or operate household appliances 

when the homeowner is absent. In 

future, all this can be done by means of a 

smartphone or PC, thanks to Internet-enabled 

wireless power outlets that support 

the new IPv6 Internet protocol. 

“We have been able to connect the 

power outlets wirelessly using the IPv6 protocol,” said ESK research 

engineer Günter Hildebrandt. “All household appliances 

plugged in one of the sockets can be switched on and off remotely 

using an IPv6-compatible device such as a smartphone 

or laptop PC – from anywhere.” 

The wireless power outlets are a component of the HexaBus 

home automation system that was developed by the ITWM as 

part of the mySmartGrid project - www.mysmartgrid.de. 

“The HexaBus components make the smart home of the 

future a reality. They enable household appliances to be 

controlled intelligently, thus optimizing or reducing electricity 

consumption. For example, the householder can start the 

washing machine during cheap-rate off-peak hours, or run 

the dishwasher when the photovoltaic panels on the roof are 

generating sufficient power,” said industrial engineer Mathias 

Dalheimer of the ITWM, who leads the SmartGrid project and is 

its chief programmer. 

In addition to the wireless power outlets, 

the HexaBus system employs a specially 

designed USB stick that plugs into any 

compatible, off-the-shelf router. The user 

enters the command to switch on an appliance 

via a standard web browser or an 

Android-compatible smartphone app. The 

router and stick then forward the data to 

the power outlet. 

The two-way communication function 

also allows the wireless power outlet to 

send data to the smartphone, informing 

the user how much power various appliances are consuming 

at any given time. Because the HexaBus system is based on 

the IPv6 data communication protocol, a separate IP address is 

assigned to each power outlet, and thereby to each connected 

appliance, enabling them to be accessed directly. But how did 

the researchers go about integrating Internet functionality in the 

wireless power outlets and USB sticks? To do so, Hildebrandt 

and his team developed special protocol software and an extension 

to the Contiki operating system that enables it to handle 

the 6LoWpan (IPv6 over Low power Wireless Personal Area 

Network) communication protocol. 

Lithium-ion battery pilot production line 

established by German research center 


German research center ZSW (Zentrum für Sonnenenergieund 

Wasserstoff-Forschung) will install a test production line for 

lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The goal of the project 

is the development and test of prismatic Li-ion batteries with a 

capacity of 20 Ah and more. Such batteries will be used as drive 

batteries in electric cars. The pilot production line is scheduled 

to start its activities in 2014. 

The project has been initialized by industry network KLiB 

(Kompetenznetzwerk Lithium-Ionen-Batterien). KLiB counts 

numerous companies along the entire battery production value 

chain to its members, including BASF, BMW, Bosch, Daimler, 

Dow, SB Limotive, Siemens and Varta. 

The project aims at industrial-grade production processes 

for large Li-ion batteries. At the same time, it offers the chance 

to validate new materials and production techniques as well as 

methods for quality assurance. “This research production line 

will close the gap between manufacturing at the laboratory level 

and serial production,” explained KLiB chairman Hubert Jäger. 

“This is a central requirement of the German Electromobility 

Platform. Within the KLiB a number of working groups have 

been formed with focus on each stage of the value chain - for 

instance materials for anode, cathode, separator and electrolytes, 

automation technology, cell production, and battery 

production. According to a joint press release of ZSW and KLiB, 

the project represents the first opportunity in Germany for all 

companies involved to access a value chain-spanning R&D 

platform that completes in-house R&D efforts. The project is 

funded in part by the federal German research ministry with 

23.5 million euros. 

www.electronics-eetimes.com Electronic Engineering Times Europe September 2012 13


LED LIGHTING 

Innovative LED geometry could increase 

light output by factor of ten 


New three-dimensional assembly of LEDs could dramatically 

multiply the light output compared to today’s planar 

devices, European scientists hope. The EU research project 

GECCO aims at vertically oriented LEDs with much higher efficiency. 

Already now, modern high-performance LEDs provide a 

bright light output at high efficiency and are meanwhile applied 

for automobile headlights, for example. At present, the production 

process for these kinds of LEDs is still not cost efficient 

enough and also the efficiency of these LEDs needs further 

improvement. 

The international team of the GECCO project with their partners 

from Madrid, Bristol, Lodz, as well as LED manufacturer 

Osram is working on achieving their ambitious objectives. 

Up to now, LEDs are being constructed in a planar way, 

meaning in layers and completely flat. The more light is being 

required, the more wafer area has to be produced - an expensive 

and laborious approach. The idea of the GECCO project is 

to assemble LEDs in a three-dimensional way so that actually 

every LED consists of a ‘light emitting tower’ from which the entire 

vertical surface is emitting light. Obviously the surface of the 

tower is much larger compared to the ground area of a planar 

LED. And in fact, it is exactly the gain of light emitting area that 

leads to a higher 

light output. 

Thus, the manufacturing 

of an LED 

becomes much 

more cost-effective 

and as a result replacing ancient electric bulbs, halogen lamps 

as well as energy saving bulbs to LEDs is getting significantly 

more profitable. Considering the fact that currently 20% of 

electrical energy worldwide is being utilized for illumination, this 

innovation provides an enormous potential as far as cost-effectiveness 

is concerned. In addition, LED lighting is particularly 

important for future electric mobility. Energy saving is of utmost 

importance in electric cars. 

The dimensions of the ‘light emitting towers’ are within the 

micrometer range. This means approximately one million LEDs 

fit on an area of one square millimeter. This process requires 

utmost precision which can only be achieved by applying nanotechnology 

manufacturing techniques. 

The GECCO project is coordinated by Prof. Andreas Waag 

from the Institute of Semiconductor Technology of the Braunschweig 

Technical University. 

Light-emitting foils could offer 

cost-effective OLED alternative 


Researchers from the university of umea (Sweden) 

have produced organic light-emitting electrochemical cells 

(LECs) using a roll-to-roll compatible process under ambient 

conditions. The manufacturing technology developed by the 

Swedish team opens the perspective on producing extremely 

thin light emitting foils in an inexpensive 

process. 

Applications for the LEC foils could 

be informative displays. At a later stage 

of development, the foils could also be 

used for lighting applications, offering a 

cheaper alternative to today’s OLEDs, said 

Physics Professor Ludvig Edman from the 

Umea university. Edman’s group at Umea 

University is focusing on novel organic 

compounds (such as light-emitting and 

conducting polymers and graphene) and 

develops LECs based on such materials. The researchers say 

they have dramatically improved the energy efficiency and lifetime 

of LECs. They have demonstrated the unique physics and 

chemistry behind their operation and recently they enhanced 

the performance of LECs to a point where lifetime and efficiency 

make LECs useful for signage applications. 

The next step in the development was to ensure that the 

manufacturing costs can be attractive for commercial applications. 

According to a report of the team, published in Nature 

Communications, the team managed to deposit a light-emitting 

layer and a PEDOT-PSS anode on top of a 

flexible cathode-coated substrate mounted on 

a roll by means of a slot-die head, using solely 

air-stable materials in a roll-coater apparatus. 

The layers in the produced LEC device were 

found to be highly uneven, and the layer thickness, 

for both active layer and anode, was 

very thick at approximately 1µm. However, 

due to the unique self-doping operation of the 

LEC, the light emitted did not suffer from the 

rough interfaces, and was in fact found to be 

very uniform. This feature is ideal for roll-toroll 

processes, as the demands of the coating quality can be 

relaxed thus lowering the costs substantially. The researchers 

point out that all the steps involved, i.e. preparation of inks, 

the subsequent coating of the constituent layers, and the final 

device operation all could be carried out under ambient air. 


MATERIAL SCIENCES 

First microwave laser to operate 

at room temperature 


Scientists in the uk have developed the first solid-state 

MASER to operate at room temperature, paving the way for its 

widespread adoption. 

The researchers from the National 

Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Imperial 

College London suggest that roomtemperature 

MASERs could be used 

to make more sensitive medical instruments 

for scanning patients, improved 

chemical sensors for remotely detecting 

explosives; lower-noise read-out 

mechanisms for quantum computers 

and better radio telescopes for potentially 

detecting life on other planets. The 

microwave equivalent of a laser, masers 

deliver a concentrated beam of microwaves 

by amplifying microwaves using 

hard inorganic crystals such as ruby. But 

they have always required extreme conditions 

such as extremely low pressures 

or temperatures close to absolute zero 

(-273.15°C), as well as strong magnetic 

fields from large magnets. 

The team have demonstrated pulse 

masing in a solid-state device working in 

air at room temperature with no applied 

magnetic field. This could dramatically 

reduce the cost to manufacture and 

operate a MASER, which could lead to 

them becoming as widely used as laser 

technology in a wide range of applications. 

“For half a century the MASER has 

been the forgotten, inconvenient cousin 

of the laser. Our design breakthrough 

will enable MASERs to be used by 

industry and consumers,” said Dr Mark 

Oxborrow, co-author of the study at 

NPL. The team used a completely different 

type of crystal, namely p-terphenyl 

doped with pentacene, to replace ruby 

and replicate the same masing process 

at room temperature. As a curious twist, 

the pentacene dopant turns the otherwise 

colourless p-terphenyl crystal an 

intense reddish pink. 

The first device only works in pulsed 

mode for fractions of a second at a time. 

They aim to get it to operate continously 

over a range of microwave frequencies, 

instead of its current narrow bandwidth, 

which would make the technology more 

useful. In the long-term, the team has a 

range of other goals including the identification 

of different materials that can 

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mase at room temperature while consuming less power than 

pentacene-doped p-terphenyl. 

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VLSI report 

Custom designed wireless links: 

what the 2012 VLSI Symposia had on offer 


sponsored by the electron devices Society, the Solid 

State Circuits Society and the Japan Society of Applied Physics, 

the 2012 VLSI Symposia which took place last summer 

in Honolulu came as an opportunity for researchers to unveil 

new short-range wireless links and design concepts. Striking 

examples include inductive RF coupling solutions for in-chip 

communications or through-skull neural sensing data collection. 

A team of researchers from the Department of Electrical Engineering 

and Computer Sciences at the University of California, 

Berkeley, presented a 260GHz fully integrated CMOS transceiver 

for wireless chip-to-chip communication. Designed in 

65nm CMOS, the OOK modulation (On/Off Key) transceiver was 

demonstrated to transmit 10Gb/s over a range of 40mm. 

The Tx/Rx dual on-chip antenna array is implemented with 

half-width leaky wave antennas. Each transmitter consists of 

a quadrupler driven by a class-D-1 PA with a distributed OOK 

modulator, and outputs +5 dBm of EIRP. The receiver uses a 

double balanced mixer to down-convert 

to a Vband IF signal that is amplified with 

a wideband IF driver and demodulated 

on-chip. 

Another team from the same department 

presented a 65nm CMOS-integrated 

wireless neural sensor with a footprint 

of 0.125mm 2 for minimally invasive 

surgery, drawing only 10.5μW. 

This brain-machine interface consists 

of an array of electrodes that extend 

vertically to reach relevant neurons, the 

wirelessly powered 65nm CMOS IC integrating 

four 1.5μW amplifiers (6.5μVrms 

input-referred noise for a 10kHz bandwidth) 

with power conditioning and 

communication circuitry, and an inductive 

coupling receiver (RX) coil placed on 

top of the active circuitry to minimize the 

device’s total footprint. 

This neural sensor is claimed to be 

able to record action potentials with 

enough resolution to 

control a complex robotic 

prothesis. Data is 

then transmitted through 

the brain’s dura to a subcutaneous 

interrogator. 

The four 10-bit, 20kHz 

ADCs generate 800kbps 

of neural data, which 

is backscattered after 

each sample is taken. 

The interrogator initiates 

sampling and communication 

by sending a 

20kHz beacon. 

Fig. 2: Conceptual system diagram of a 

wireless neural sensor. 

Fig. 1: Sub THz wireless data-link setup. 

Fig. 3: ThruChip interface (TCI): (a) inductive coupling, (b) coil by multi-layer wires. 

A paper from the Keio University, 

Japan, disclosed the use of inductive 

coupling, dubbed ThruChip Interface 

(TCI) for inter-chip communication. In effect, 

the idea is to use near-field wireless 

connections between different 3D-chip 

levels, instead of silicon vias. Designed 

as part of the digital CMOS circuit 

integration, this solution is claimed to 

be less expensive than using through 

silicon vias (TSVs) while offering similar 

bandwidth. The researchers listed various 

issues with TSVs, including their 

excessive footprint or the open failures 

they cause due to thermal stress. 

They looked at near-field communication 

at 50GHz in the 1mm range. The 

ThruChip Interface is described as being 

surge-tolerant, thermally resilient, while 

imposing no restrictions on the circuit 

position within multi-layer stacks. This 

multi-layer interconnection is said to 

require only 3% of the footprint of conventional 

CMOS I/Os. It 

was tested with stacks 

of 128 dies, supporting 

a data rate per coil of 

11Gb/s/ch and aggregating 

a data rate of 

8Tb/s by arranging 1000 

channels within 6.4mm 2 

while drawing two orders 

of magnitude less power 

than conventional highspeed 

memory links 

such as DDR. 

This inter-chip, intrastack 

communication 


smart system integration 2012 

technology could find use not only 

in large memory stacks that make 

up solid-state drives but also for 

multiple processor packages or 

for non-contact wafer-level testing 

as well as for debugging by probing 

internal bus data wirelessly 

through a device’s package. 

A student in the Department 

of Electrical Engineering at the 

National Tsing Hua University in 

Taiwan, Chang-Ming Lai presented 

an ultra-wideband (UWB) 

impulse radio timed-array radar 

implemented in 0.18μm CMOS 

technology. 

Using a time-shifted directsampling 

architecture, the 4-channel 

transmitter array generates 

and sends a variety of 10GS/s pulses towards targets while the 

receiver array samples the reflected signal in RF domain directly 

by time interleaved sampling at 20GS/s. The radar system can 

Fig. 4: Human breathing as seen over a distance of 3m by 

the UWB impulse radio timed-array radar. 

determine time of arrival (TOA) and 

direction of arrival (DOA) through 

time-shifted sampling edges which 

are generated by on-chip digital-totime 

converters (DTC). 

According to the student, the 

proposed architecture has range 

and azimuth resolution of 0.75cm 

and 3 degree respectively - see 

figure 4. 

This UWB impulse radio timedarray 

radar system can identify 

multiple targets by measuring simultaneously 

both direction of arrival 

(DOA) and time of arrival (TOA) of 

the radio waves scattered by several 

objects. 

What’s more, for high-fidelity 

detection, the scattering waveform of 

UWB pulses from the radio interaction 

between the radar and the detected objects can be reconstructed 

through the analogue signal processing array (ASP) of 

the radar receiver. 

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Energy harvesting 

Energy harvesters: a thin film approach 


during idtechex’last energy harvesting and Storage 

Europe conference held in Berlin, thin piezoelectric and 

low foot-print thermoelectric materials were cited in many new 

energy harvesting research programs and design implementations. 

The ultimate goal, as for many electronic applications, 

is to replace bulky energy harvesting units by lower cost and 

conformable film-like solutions that are easier to integrate or to 

wear. 

Michele Guizzetti, Erling Ringgaard and Tomasz Zawada from 

Meggitt Sensing Systems presented their use of Lead Zirconate 

Titanate (PZT) piezoelectric thick films for energy harvesting 

through the conversion of kinetic energy into electrical energy. 

The conversion is done through the vibration of a cantilever 

beam covered with piezoelectric material. 

The stress induced by the vibrations (kinetic energy) creates 

the electrical charges which are harvested as a micro-current. 

After studying the optimal design of a piezoelectric bending 

structure where the neutral bending axis should be located at 

the interface between the PZT materials and the passive (Si) 

materials, the team established that for the typical device layer 

thickness of the Silicon on Insulator (SoI) wafer being used (20 

μm), a layer of 30 to 40 μm of active PZT material should be 

used. 

Meggitt Sensing System implements this through its proprietary 

thick film InSensor technology, screen-printing and 

integrating piezoelectric layers from 10 to 100 µm in thickness 

with a surface resolution of 100x100µm. Dispersed in an organic 

vehicle, the piezoelectric material can be screen-printed on a 

number of substrates that are compatible with MEMS manufacture 

for the design of the bending structures. Using silicon 

micromachining and screen-printing techniques, the researchers 

developed single clamped cantilever devices measuring 

10x10mm 2 , featuring a silicon proof mass at the free end of the 

cantilever – see figure 1 and 2. 

They tried various cantilever shapes and mass-beam length 

ratios (MBR) in both unimorph and bimorph configurations. 

Designed in cooperation with the department of micro and 

nanotechnology of the technical 

university of Denmark (DTU 

Nanotech), the devices yielded a 

charge sensitivity up to 37nC/g 

at 0.5 g peak, delivering up to 

4V at 0.5 g peak for the bimorph 

device, generating 15 to 20μW of 

power at moderate accelerations 

of about 0.5 g. 

The team demonstrated that 

the bandwidth of these microgenerators 

can be increased by 

introduction of non-linear effects 

such as magnetic coupling or 

mechanical non-linearity. These 

PZT thick-film micro-generators 

can be used to power sensor 

nodes for energy-autonomous, 

wireless measurement of acceleration 

and temperature. 

Fig. 1: Meggitt’s clamped cantilever device showing a silicon 

proof mass at the free end of the cantilever. 

Fig. 3: Algra’s Dynasim foils with a screen printable 

piezoelectric lacquer can be used in flexural mode. 

Fig. 2: A wafer showing 

several piezoelectric bending 

structures. 

Dr. Venkatesh Sivasubramaniam 

from swiss-based 

company Algra showcased a 

wireless piezoelectric switch 

for handheld or wall-mounted 

applications. Commercialized 

as Dynapic Wireless, the low 

actuation force (5N) switch 

relies on a simple piezoelectric 

membrane sandwiched between 

an overlaid electrode, 

a spacer defining the actuation 

displacement and a thin PCB on which the electronics is 

assembled. 

The circuitry includes a custom power management ASIC, 

a low power MCU and an RF transceiver capable of running 

standard low-power wireless protocols. The switches have been 

tested to over 10 million cycles, a longevity that is due to the 

low homogeneous stress level applied to the circular piezoelectric 

membrane, claims the company. As well as its noise-free 

switch, Algra discussed flexible 

piezoelectric polymer composite 

sensor foils – see figure 3. Instead 

of a sintered piezoelectric disc, 

Algra’s Dynasim foils feature a 

screen printable piezoelectric 

lacquer built up on electrode material 

using a roll-to-roll thick film 

deposition technique. To be used 

in flexural mode, the foil could 

deliver enough energy to wake 

up a microprocessor from a deep 

sleep mode. 

A supplier of PMN-PT (lead 

magnesium niobium-lead titanate) 

single piezoelectric crystals, 

iBULe Photonics’ CEO Sang-Goo 

Lee presented his company’s 

approach to acoustic micro-gener- 


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Energy harvesting 

ators. The company has the know-how to bond PMN-PT single 

crystals onto silicon wafers and then micro-machine them into 

resonating structures of appropriate thicknesses (down to 15 

microns), in effect, designing what it calls piezoelectric micromachined 

ultrasonic transducers (P-MUT). 

The efficiency of PMN-PT vibrational energy harvesters is 

about seven times that of PZT-based devices, highlighted Lee. 

iBULe Photonics has built 

up prototypes of monolayer 

acoustic generators arrays 

measuring 30x30mm, 

featuring arrangements of 

10x10 microgenerator cells 

each 2.5mm in diameter 

and only 0.01mm thin – see 

figure 4. 

With 15mWh delivered 

by each cell at a sound 

pressure of 1Pa at 12.5kHz, 

the whole array could yield 

up to 1500mWh of usable 

power. The company is also 

Fig. 4: One of iBULe Photonics’ 

microgenerator cells, 2.5mm in 

diameter and only 0.01mm thin. 

looking at superposing several such arrays to increase power 

output. Future developments include the use of PMN-PT/epoxy 

piezocomposite materials to build up 3-dimensional energy harvesting 

structures and the use of thin-film batteries for energy 

storage on the same device. 

Fig. 5: AIST’s thermoelectric conversion film devices fabricated 

by stencil printing yields a fully flexible prototype. 

A researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial 

Science and Technology (AIST) from Japan, Kouji Suemori presented 

new materials printable into thermoelectric conversion 

devices. Unlike many competing thermoelectric materials, the 

carbon nanotube-polymer composite developed by the AIST 

does not contain rare metals such as Bi and Te. 

The composite is mixed mechanically at a nanometer-level 

with a resin matrix in an inking solvent and can then be printed 

onto flexible substrates such as plastic films and papers. Adding 

drying and sintering steps, this process enables the manufacture 

of thermoelectric conversion devices onto 20µm-thick 

substrates that conform to any shape for optimum conversion 

efficiency. 

The thermoelectric energy harvester is obtained through 

stencil printing, patterning tiny material sections between top 

and bottom electrodes to form many thermoelectric cells that 

are connected in series – see figure 5. 

As shown in figure 5, the researchers prototyped a flexible 

thermoelectric conversion film featuring 1000 such devices in 

series, each cell measuring 0.5×0.8×0.3mm. 

This thermoelectric conversion 

film remained operational even 

when bent at 5mm of curvature. 

It has shown to be conformable 

to both curved and spherical surfaces 

while being able to generate 

power with small temperature 

differences. 

This could even be used in 

garments for wearable power 

generation. As a lab experiment, 

the temperature difference created 

by one’s hand placed on 

top of the film fixed to a 10°C 

plate generated 108.9mV - see 

figure 6. 

Fig. 7: Wibicom’s photovoltaic antennas for UWB 

transceivers. (a) Dipole antenna. (b) Loop antenna. 

Fig. 6: A flexible thermoelectric conversion film generating 

power through the temperature difference created by a hand 

on the film installed on a 10 °C plate generated 108.9mV. 

Taking a look at everything thin, Wibicom should be cited 

for its innovative approach to antenna design, directly powered 

by dye sensitised cells fabricated on top of an antenna foil. 

The small technical consulting company from the Netherlands 

presented its WibiSol concept antenna capable of harvesting 

energy from ambient light or the sun and simultaneously transmitting 

and receiving RF signals – see figure 7. 

In previous papers, the company founder & CEO Mina 

Danesh detailed the implementation of dipole and loop antennas 

designed for 3.1 to 10.6GHz ultrawideband communications, 

covered with amorphous-silicon PV cells based on 

hydrogenated amorphous silicon (aSi:H). The dipole antenna 

uses two separate PV cells measuring 20×20mm 2 , each having 

its own DC connections, 

connected in parallel. 

The loop antenna has 

five-series DC-connected 

cells. In this case the PV 

module is 25mm wide 

and 110mm long with a 

loop diameter of 36mm. 

Here again for the continuous 

operation of sensor 

nodes, the photovoltaic 

energy would have to be 

stored in supercapacitors 

or in thin-film rechargeable 

batteries. 


Turning waste heat from industrial piping 

into electrical energy 

By Josh Moczygemba 

Marlow Industries’ EverGen PowerStrap is a thermoelectric-based 

energy harvesting solution that produces multiple 

watts of power by conversion of waste heat from industrial piping 

directly into electrical energy. This product provides remote 

power for wireless sensors, wireless transmitters, actuators, 

and controls in large industrial, chemical, oil and gas infrastructures. 

This energy harvesting solution can be customized to fit 

any pipe diameter and pipe orientation, without modification to 

existing pipeline infrastructure. 

Power output is proportional to the temperature difference 

from the pipe surface to ambient, and the number of straps 

employed in the application. The EverGen PowerStrap is 

composed of three main components: Bi2Te3 thermoelectric 

generators (TEGs), anodized aluminium clamping straps and 

natural convection heat sinks. 

The TEG modules produce power from the temperature 

difference between the pipe wall and ambient air. They have a 

maximum operating temperature of 230°C and are sealed for 

environmental protection. The clamping straps provide a geometrical 

transition from the round exterior pipe wall to the flat 

TEG surface. The clamp attaches with a compression technique 

that requires no modifications to the pipe wall. Straps are 

custom sized based on pipe diameter. The heat sinks dissipate 

heat to the ambient environment, they are typically made of 

aluminium with anodized coatings. 

Design methodology 

Maximizing power in the EverGen P owerStrap system requires 

a balance between the thermal and electrical system design. 

Thermal optimization starts by defining a thermal load resistance 

ratio (m). 

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ENERGY HARVESTING 

Where R TEG 

,thermal is the thermal 

resistance of the thermoelectric elements, 

HSR is the thermal resistance from the hot 

source to the hot side of the thermoelectric 

elements and CSR is the thermal resistance 

from the cold source to the cold side of the 

thermoelectric elements. 

Figure 2 represents the impact on 

performance that different thermal load 

ratios have on the power output. For most 

thermoelectric applications, designing 

for a thermal load resistance ratio of one 

ensures the best performance possible. In 

the case of the EverGen PowerStrap, the 

best performing natural convection heat 

sink was chosen, based on orientation, size, cost 

and manufacturing constraints. Computational fluid 

dynamics (CFD) software was used to aid in the heat 

sink design optimization. Next, the TEG devices were 

designed using Marlow’s proprietary TEG software to 

match the thermal resistivity of the natural convection 

Fig. 1: A 10-inch diameter 

implementation of the EverGen 

PowerStrap energy harvester from 

Marlow. 

generator module was held in compression between 

the heat sink and the strap base with two 

stainless steel bolts fitted with insulating phenolic 

washers. Thermal pads on both sides of the TEG 

were used to improve thermal resistance at the 

hot (strap) and cold (heat sink) interfaces. The 

clamping strap base was divided into three identical 

sections that form a compression fit around 

the pipe when bolted together. A series of lab 

tests were conducted with this design that mimicked 

varying operating conditions throughout the 

year. The test assembly was made from a section 

of 10” diameter steel pipe that was capped at 

one end and filled with oil. Submersible heaters, 

heat sinks under pure natural convection conditions. 

The electrical system optimization is analogous to 

the thermal system. For maximum power transfer, the 

internal electrical resistance of the power source must match 

the electrical resistance of the load being powered. In this case, 

the electrical load ratio (n) is defined as 

Where R load 

is the electrical resistance of the load being powered 

and R TEG 

,electrical is the electrical resistance of the TEG 

module under operating conditions. 

Figure 3 highlights why this is a particularly important consideration 

when designing thermoelectric power generation 

systems. In reality, both electrical and thermal characteristics of 

the TEG are interrelated with the thermal resistance of the TEG 

being affected by the electrical load connected to the TEG. In 

real world applications, where operating conditions and loads 

vary, it would be very difficult to always ensure proper load 

matching across all operating points due 

to temperature dependant properties 

of the TEG. Fortunately, commercially 

available maximum power point tracking 

(MPPT) controllers originally designed for 

the solar industry can also perform this 

function for thermoelectric systems. In 

cases where hybrid solar/thermoelectric 

systems are employed, a single MPPT 

controller accommodates both. The only 

design requirements are that the TEG 

system voltage and current outputs for 

the operating range meet the input requirements 

of the MPPT controller. 

Test setup 

Figure 1 shows a photograph of a 10- 

inch diameter EverGen PowerStrap. The 

unit was designed for outdoor use, 120°C 

operation in a vertical orientation for an 

industrial exhaust pipe. Twelve identical 

TEG and heat sink assembly sections 

were spaced evenly around the perimeter 

of the strap base. Each thermoelectric 

Fig. 2: Impact of thermal load 

matching on the EverGen PowerStrap 

design. 

Fig. 4: Expanded view sketch of 

the thermocouple placement on 

the test assembly. 

Fig. 5: The EverGen PowerStrap 

test results. 

Fig. 3: Impact of electrical 

load matching on the EverGen 

PowerStrap. 

attached to an electronic temperature controller, were used to 

control test assembly wall temperature. The PowerStrap was 

clamped to the exterior of the test assembly, with non-setting 

thermal mastic applied between the pipe wall and the strap 

base to aid in heat transfer. During testing, ambient temperature 

around the test assembly was altered to reflect seasonal changes. 

Both natural convection and forced convection up to 6.5 

mph were studied. Omega OM-420 data acquisition equipment 

was used to collect temperature, voltage and current measurements 

during testing. Figure 4 is an expanded view sketch that 

depicts thermocouple placement on the test assembly. Readings 

were collected and recorded in two second intervals. 

Test results 

The results of this testing, compared against model 

predictions, are shown in Figure 5 for two different 

pipe temperatures covering a wide range in ambient 

conditions. From the data, it is obvious that the 

EverGen PowerStrap performance is maximized 

when ambient temperatures are the coldest. This 

is to be expected since thermoelectric efficiency is 

greater for larger temperature differentials. In real 

world operation, this means that the PowerStrap 

performance will be maximized during the colder 

months of the year. Such performance makes this 

product a natural complement to solar cells, which 

usually perform poorly during the winter months. 

Another key point is that there is significant performance 

increase, by as much as 40%, when typical 

outdoor wind conditions are accounted for. For 

applications requiring higher power levels, multiple 

units can be employed. The data also shows that the 

model predictions close well with experimental data. 

By expanding the model to include different pipe 

temperatures and diameters, performance under different 

operating scenarios can be predicted. 


Piezo wireless switch: No battery, 

no cable, no wear 

By Dr. Venkatesh Sivasubramaniam 

The principles behind using piezoelectric materials for 

energy harvesting are well known since the early 70’s. Despite 

various patents on such energy harvesting implementations, 

barely few inventions have been crystallized into industrial 

products. The primary limitation of deploying a piezoelectric 

material is related to its poor mechanical reliability while it is 

often bowed and clamped in a certain manner so as to generate 

the required voltage by mechanical deformation. In reality 

the deflection of most piezoelectric cantilevers easily exceeds 

a millimetre. Additionally the piezoelectric cantilever suffers 

inhomogeneous stress concentrations due to clamped boundary 

conditions. A larger deflection with inhomogeneous stress 

states has a negative influence on the mechanical integrity of 

the piezoelectric energy harvesting source. 

As early as the 1990’s, the Swiss-based company Algra 

demonstrated that the reliability issues of bending piezoelectric 

Dr. Venkatesh Sivasubramaniam is Material Scientist 

at Algra AG – www.algra.ch 

Fig. 1: Expanded view of the Dynapic 

technology showing the multilayer 

laminate construction with the 

piezoelectric disc. 

materials can be 

circumvented with 

two proprietary 

technologies known 

as Dynapic and Dynasim. 

The Dynapic 

technology offers an 

innovative solution 

where a discshaped 

piezoelectric 

material is bent within a controlled range from 100 to 300 

µm through the use of a multilayered sandwich construction - 

see figure 1. Figure 2 shows side by side the stress analysis of a 

typical cantilever bending and the Dynapic piezo key. A homogenous 

stress distribution ensures the mechanical integrity of the 

Dynapic piezo keys, enabling such implementations to exceed 

10 million switching cycles. Algra’s latest innovation, Dynapic 

Wireless - as shown in figure 3, demonstrates that energy 

from the Dynapic piezo switch alone is sufficient to be used



Fig. 2: A) Inhomogenous stress 

distribution for a clamped piezoelectric 

cantilever. B) Stress optimized layer for 

a simple Dynapic concept. 

in self-powered 

wireless switching 

applications. The 

energy generated by 

a single key stroke 

is sufficient to wake 

up a microcontroller 

and transmit 

a coded signal to 

a remote receiver. 

The wireless signal itself could be deployed for simple ON/OFF 

operation. These switches could be deployed in household devices 

such as lights or window blinds but would also be suitable 

for industrial automation. 

Because there is almost no mechanical movement, the 

Dynapic Wireless switch comes as a compact and robust module 

easy to integrate into existing or new designer switches. The 

switch is noise-free and has a low force of activation of approximately 

5N. 

Dedicated power management 

for piezo switches 

The primary challenge involved in such a piezoelectric switch 

was to develop suitable power management devices. There are 

several energy management ICs and voltage converters on the 

market but most are aimed at battery-based applications, where 

Fig. 3: Block diagram of the Dynapic Wireless switch. 

the voltage from a battery is reduced or boosted. What’s more, 

most of these power management devices are developed for 

energy harvesters that work on continuous vibrational modes. 

Linear Technology has recently introduced the “LTC3588-1”, 

which is an AC/DC converter for piezo vibrational harvesters. 

These do perform very well for piezo harvesters based on 

continuous vibrational modes, optimized for a resonant frequency. 

However such components could not be deployed for 

the Dynapic piezo keys, as the energy comes in voltage busts 

generated by intermittent finger pressure. The piezo keys deliver 

high voltages (typically 20-50 V) at very low current with a typical 

time span of approximately 100ms. Thus, designers must 

wake up the microcontroller within a short period of time and 

transmit a simple 

coded signal 

to the receiver 

using the energy 

generated in the 

order of 2-20 µJ – 

see figure 5. This 

requires custom 

Fig. 4: The compact form factor of 

Dynapic Wireless allows various design 

developed power 

management 

electronics that 

can function at 

possibilities. 

extremely low currents/high impedances. 

For this purpose, Algra has developed a power management 

ASIC that includes an active bridge rectifier with a voltage 

conditioner drawing less than 50nA typically with a forward 

bias voltage under 40mV. It is worth mentioning that the wireless 

protocol used here is proprietary, designed to work with 

ultra-low power radio 

modules. We currently 

achieve a wireless 

transmission distance 

of 10 to 30m at a frequency 

of 2.4 GHz. 

Algra is experimenting 

further with high 

performance ceramics 

for the piezoelectric membrane, which could lead together 

with custom designed ASICs to more flexible solutions based 

on standard wireless protocols. More harvested energy should 

allow the switch to send redundant signals for increased reliability. 

The Dynapic piezo can also be used as an energy source for 

small embedded systems where wireless communication is not 

required. This could be the case for contact (shock) loggers, 

say in the transportation industry. Besides the Dynapic Wireless, 

Algra also manufactures 

flexible piezoelectric polymer 

composite sensor foils commercially 

known as Dynasim 

– see figure 6. The layered 

construction is very similar to 

the Dynapic, but instead of a 

sintered piezoelectric disc, a 

screen printable piezoelectric 

lacquer with suitable electrode 

material is built-up using a 

roll-to-roll thick film deposition 

technique. This screen 

printing technique supports 

the fast serial production of 

sensor foils in various forms 

and shapes. 

Dynasim foils are already proven for their reliability and 

efficient production in large quantities for keyboard-based applications. 

Currently Algra is exploring new applications where 

the generated energy would wake up microcontrollers from a 

deep sleep state - see figure 7. In Sleep mode, a microcontroller 

is placed in its lowest current consumption state whereby the 

device’s oscillator is turned off, so there are no system clocks 

running. However, the I/O ports maintain the status they had before 

the SLEEP instruction was executed. In order to minimize 

the Sleep mode’s power consumption, the output ports should 

not be sourcing or sinking any current before going into Sleep 

mode, optimising battery life. All the unused I/O pins should be 

configured as inputs and pulled either high (VDD) or low (VSS). 

Figure 7 shows a graph where the energy (yellow trace) from 

pressing a Dynasim key generates the energy required to wake 

up/ provide interrupts to the micro controller (green trace) and 

set it to a toggle state. In contrast to capacitive keys, the piezo 

key does not consume 

any power from the 

supply at all, allowing 

for a Sleep mode current 

that only consists 

of the microcontroller’s 

leakage. For this reason 

such Dynasim piezo 

foil applications could 

open new areas of 

optimization in power 

management. 

Fig. 5: Voltage monitoring over the 

storage capacitor. 

Fig. 6: The Dynasim screenprinted 

piezoelectric 

polymer composite foils are 

manufactured using fast and 

efficient roll-to-roll screen 

printing technique. 

Fig. 7: The Dynasim key used to 

wake up a microcontroller. 


Self-charging piezo-power cell converts and 

stores energy chemically in a single unit 

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have 

developed a self-charging power cell that directly converts mechanical 

energy to chemical energy, storing the power until it is 

released as electrical current. By eliminating the need to convert 

mechanical energy to electrical energy for charging a battery, the 

new hybrid generator-storage cell uses mechanical energy more 

efficiently than systems using separate generators and batteries. 

he power cell consists of a cathode made from lithium-cobalt 

oxide (LiCoO 2 

) and an anode consisting of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 

) 

nanotubes grown atop a titanium film. 

frequency of 2.3 Hertz, the researchers increased the voltage 

in the power cell from 327 to 395 millivolts in just four minutes. 

The device was then discharged back to its original voltage with 

a current of one milliamp for about two minutes. The researchers 

estimated the stored electric capacity of the power cell to 

be approximately 0.036 milliamp-hours. So far, Wang and his 

research team – which included Xinyu Xue, Sihong Wang, Wenxi 

Guo and Yan Zhang – have built and tested more than 500 of the 

power cells. Wang estimates that the generator-storage cell will 

be as much as five times more efficient at converting mechanical 

energy to chemical energy for as a two-cell generator-storage 

system. 

We have always known 

what we wanted to do... 

The two electrodes are separated by a 

membrane made from poly(vinylidene 

fluoride) (PVDF) film, which generates a 

piezoelectric charge when placed under 

strain. When the power cell is mechanically 

compressed, the PVDF film generates 

a piezoelectric potential that serves 

as a charge pump to drive the lithium 

ions from the cathode side to the anode 

side. The energy is then stored in the 

anode as lithium-titanium oxide. By 

harnessing a compressive force, such 

as a shoe heel hitting the pavement from 

a person walking, the power cell generates 

enough current to power a small 

calculator. Charging occurs in cycles 

with the compression of the power cell 

creating a piezopotential that drives the 

migration of lithium ions until a point at 

which the chemical equilibrium of the two 

electrodes are re-established and the distribution 

of lithium ions can balance the 

piezoelectric fields in the PVDF film. 

When the force applied to the power cell 

is released, the piezoelectric field in the 

PVDF disappears, and the lithium ions 

are kept at the anode through a chemical 

process. The charging cycle is completed 

through an electrochemical process 

that oxidizes a small amount of lithiumcobalt 

oxide at the cathode to Li1-xCoO 2 

and reduces a small amount of titanium 

dioxide to LixTiO 2 

at the anode. Compressing 

the power cell again repeats the 

cycle. When an electrical load is connected 

between the anode and cathode, 

electrons flow to the load, and the lithium 

ions within the cell flow back from the 

anode side to the cathode side. Using 

a mechanical compressive force with a 

Mission-critical, high reliability resistive products. 

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have applied painstaking research, rigid quality 

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world’s most 

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in the USA. 




UK leads in energy efficiency rankings 

as Germany pushes ahead 


Somewhat surprisingly, the UK is leading the energy efficiency 

ranking of the world’s twelve largest economies, according to 

the International Energy Efficiency Scorecard by the American 

Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). Despite this 

finding, the study also reveals that there are still vast untapped 

efficiency opportunities. 

The rankings extend ACEEE’s established energy efficiency 

ranking of US states to 12 of the world’s largest economies, 

representing 78 percent of global gross domestic product; 63 

percent of global energy consumption; and 62 percent of the 

global carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions. 

The countries were ranked out of 100 possible points in 27 

categories, across four groups, from national energy use to 

buildings, industry, and transportation. Germany scored top in 

national efforts, China for buildings, the UK for industry and a 

tie among Italy, China, Germany, and the UK on transportation – 

see figure 1. 

“The UK and the leading economies of Europe are now well 

ahead of the United States when it comes to energy efficiency,” 

said ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel. “This is significant 

because countries that use energy more efficiently require fewer 

resources to achieve the same goals, thus reducing costs, 

preserving valuable natural resources, and creating jobs. Unfortunately, 

our results show that nowhere is the vast potential for 

improvements in energy efficiency being completely realized. 

While many countries achieved notable success, none received 

a perfect score in any category – proving that there is much that 

all countries can still learn from each other. For example, the 

United States scored relatively high in buildings, but was at the 

bottom of the list in transportation.” 

The Eco-Routemaster hybrid buses that rolled out in London 

for the Olympics come as an example of energy harvesting 

moving into transportation. These are using energy harvesting 

to simplify and enhance the communication systems. Pressing 

the bell push for the ‘stop’ button in the bus generates enough 

electrical power for a wireless module to activate the stop display 

and an audible stop signal. 

While other push-buttons need to be connected to the signal 

receiver at the bus driver’s position via metres of cable, the stop 

button manufactured by UK company BMAC uses an energy 

converter which offers more than 300,000 switching cycles 

and a small batteryless wireless module – see figure 2. The 

radio signal is unique to each stop button, ensuring no interference 

with other buttons in this bus or other buses nearby. The 

receiver module is connected to the bus’ electrical system and 

the bell pushes are then fitted into place. After installation, each 

stop button in a bus is programmed for its own logic circuit – for 

example, front, middle, rear or wheelchair users. The energy 

harvesting wireless solution saves up to 100 metres of cabling 

in the bus, saving installation effort and avoiding the need to 

replace defective cables, which can be time-consuming. 

“The concept of a wireless bell push system has been an aspiration 

for bus manufacturers for years. It takes many hours on 

the production line to wire up to 25 bell pushes into a vehicle. 

Fig. 1: Global rankings for energy efficiency. 


Connectivity Development Solutions Tools 

Connectivity Solutions for Embedded Design 

USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth®, ZigBee®, MiWi, CAN, LIN, 

IrDA® and RS-485 Protocols 

www.microchip.com/connectivity

Scalable and Integrated Solutions 

Full-Speed USB and USB On-the-Go 

Consumers’ desire for more engaging, easy-to-use and 

upgradeable products is driving embedded designers to 

add USB capabilities to their designs. 

Microchip provides designers with a scalable choice of 

integrated USB solutions across 8-, 16- and 32-bit PIC® 

microcontrollers ranging from the space-saving 14-pin 

devices to the feature-rich 100-pin USB On-the-Go (OTG) 

products. This allows simple, compact designs to easily 

grow to more capable designs as requirements demand. 

In addition, Microchip offers highly configurable standalone 

USB protocol converters that enable full-speed USB 

connectivity in applications with a UART or SPI interface. 

Microchip provides free source code for USB software 

stacks and class drivers to shorten development time for 

USB applications, including thumb drive boot loaders and 

printer support. Supported classes include: audio, CDC, 

HID, MSD, printer and custom. Microchip’s free USB host 

stack, device stack and class drivers are available at: 

www.microchip.com/usb. 

PIC16F and PIC18F Family 

■ Full-speed USB Device mode 

■ 8–128 KB Flash, 512B-4 KB of RAM, 

■ Up to 16 MIPS 8-bit devices 

■ Up to 4 UARTs, 2 I 2 C/SPI ports 

■ Available in 14/20/28/44/64/80/100-pin packages 

PIC24E Family 

■ Full-speed USB Device, Host and OTG modes 

■ 256–512 KB Flash, 32-52 KB RAM, 

70 MIPS 16-bit devices 

■ 4 UARTs, 2 I 2 C, 4 SPI ports with DMA 

■ Available in 64/100/144-pin packages 

PIC32 Family 

■ Full-speed USB Device, Host and OTG Modes with 

dedicated DMA Channels 

■ 16–512 KB Flash, 4-128 KB RAM, 

40 or 80 MHz MIPS® M4K® Core 

■ Up to 6 UARTs, 5 I 2 C and 4 SPI ports, 

up to 8 general purpose DMA channels 

■ Available in 28/36/44/64/100-pin packages 

PIC24F Family 


■ 32–256 KB Flash, 8-96 KB RAM, 


■ Up to 4 UARTs, 3 I 2 C and 3 SPI ports, 

DMA interface for data RAM access, display drivers 

■ Available in 28/44/64/80/100-pin packages 

dsPIC33E Family 


■ 256–512 KB Flash, 32-52 KB RAM, 


■ 4 UARTs, 2 I 2 C and 4 SPI ports with motor control and 

digital power peripherals 

■ Available in 64/100/144-pin packages 

Stand-alone USB Controllers 

■ MCP2200 USB-to-UART Protocol Converter 

■ MCP2210 USB-to-SPI Protocol Converter 

■ USB 2.0 Full Speed 

■ On-board EEPROM, GPIO, highly confi gurable, 

small packaging 

2 Graphics Quick Reference Guide 

www.microchip.com/usb

USB Development Tools and Software Support 

Supporting USB Development from Concept to Prototype 

Microchip’s support for USB applications includes MPLAB® 

tools for all USB PIC MCUs, peripheral applications for the 

8-bit PIC16F, PIC18F family, and device, embedded host 

and OTG applications for the 16-bit PIC24F, PIC24E and 

dsPIC33E and 32-bit PIC32 families. Designers can use 

Microchip’s free USB stacks—including class drivers, 16- 

and 32-bit file system drivers and SCSI interface drivers— 

which are provided in source code form. More information 

is available at: www.microchip.com/usb. 

Additional software support includes full C and RTOS 

development environments. Also available are: TCP/IP 

stacks, graphics libraries and ZigBee software stacks, 

which allow USB functionality to be combined with 

other capabilities to support a variety of designs. More 

information is available at: www.microchip.com/mla. 

USB Starter Kits 

These development kits provide an easy, low cost way to 

evaluate the functionality of Microchip’s 8-, 16- and 32-bit 

USB microcontrollers. The all-inclusive kit contains the 

hardware, software and code examples necessary to take 

your next USB design from concept to prototype. 

Low Pin Count USB Development Kit with PICkit 2 

(DV164126) 

This kit features the PIC18F14K50 

and PIC18F13K50 20-pin USB 

MCUs. Hardware, software and code 

examples are included, as well as 

self-directed course and lab materials. 

PIC18 Starter Kit (DM180021) 

This kit features a PIC18F46J50 MCU and 

includes on-board debugger/programming 

capability as well as USB communication, 

a capacitive touch pad, potentiometer, 

acceleration sensor, MicroSD memory 

card and an OLED display. The board can function as a USB 

mouse, joystick or mass storage device (thumb drive) all 

using the on-board capacitive touch sense pads. 

MPLAB Starter Kit for PIC24F (DM240011) 

This kit provides an inexpensive 

way to evaluate the 16 MIPs 

PIC24FJ256GB110 with USB-OTG. 

Application demonstrations include 

mTouch capacitive sensing, driving an 

OLED display and USB-OTG to store data to a thumb drive. 

PIC32 USB Starter Kit II (DM320003-2) 

This kit provides the easiest and lowest cost 

method to experience the USB and CAN 

functionality of the PIC32 microcontrollers. 

Users can develop CAN applications using 

PIC32 expansion boards. The board contains 

everything need to develop USB embedded Host/Device/ 

OTG applications by combining this board with Microchip's 

free USB software. 

FS USB Plug-In Module (PIM) Demo Boards 

These full-speed USB demonstration and development 

boards feature the PIC18FXXJ50 8-bit MCUs. The boards 

can be operated either standalone or as a PIM plugged 

into the PICDEM PIC18 Explorer board (DM183032). 

PIC18F46J50 FS USB PIM Demo Board (MA180024) 


The PIC18F46J50 and PIC18F47J53 FS 

USB PIM demo boards are full speed 

USB demonstration and development 

boards featuring the PIC18F46J50 and 

PIC18F47J53 respectively. 


The PIC18F87J50 FS USB PIM demo 

board is a full speed USB demonstration 

and development board featuring the 

PIC18F87J50. 

Explorer 16 Development Platform 

Combine the Explorer 16, low-cost modular development 

board with the USB PICtail Plus daughter board for easy 

USB development with 16- and 32-bit MCUs. Several 

different PIMs are available that allow development with a 

variety of MCU platforms. 

Explorer 16 Development Board (DM240001) 

Use this efficient, low-cost development 

board to evaluate the features and 

performance of Microchip’s 16-bit PIC24F 

and PIC24H MCU, dsPIC33 DSC and 

32-bit PIC32MX families. Interface with 

the MPLAB ICD 3 In-Circuit Debugger or MPLAB REAL ICE 

In-Circuit Emulator to speed evaluation and prototyping of 

application circuitry. 

USB PICtail Plus Daughter Board (AC164131) 

This module enables USB hardware connectivity 

when using an Explorer 16 and USB-capable 

PIM. Provides support for USB Device, Host and 

OTG development. 

Plug-in Modules 

Various PIMs are available for use with the 

Explorer 16 development board. Individual 

PIMs feature different PIC24F, PIC24E 

and PIC32 microcontrollers and dsPIC33E 

digital signal controllers with USB modules. 

MCP2210 Evaluation Kit (ADM00421) 

The MCP2210 Evaluation Kit is a 

development and evaluation platform 

for the MCP2210 USB-to-SPI standalone 

device. 

www.microchip.com/usb Graphics Quick Reference Guide 3

Ethernet Solutions with Integrated MAC and PHY 

Offering the World's Smallest Embedded Ethernet Controller 

A wide range of remote communication features are 

possible when Ethernet connectivity is added to embedded 

designs. For example, systems can be remotely monitored 

using a web browser or email notification can be sent; 

triggered by service alerts or low product inventory. End 

users benefit through cost and time savings since they 

can centrally monitor, control and service their embedded 

systems over the Internet instead of physically being there. 

Microchip’s Ethernet solutions address the growing 

demand for embedded Ethernet products, enabling easy 

network connectivity for cost-sensitive embedded designs. 

■ Free and robust TCP/IP stack optimized for the PIC18, 

PIC24 and PIC32 microcontroller and dsPIC digital 

signal controller families 

■ Supported protocols include: HTTP, SMTP, SNMP, FTP, 

SNTP, SSL, TCP, UDP, IP, DHCP, DDNS, ICMP and ARP 

PIC18F97J60 Ethernet PIC Microcontroller 

■ PIC18F microcontroller with built-in Ethernet MAC 

and 10 Base-T PHY 

■ 8 KB dedicated Ethernet Buffer RAM 

■ Up to 128 KB Flash 

■ Advanced analog and communication peripherals 

■ Available in 64-, 80- and 100-pin TQFP 

PIC32MX6XX, PIC32MX7XX Ethernet 

PIC Microcontroller 

■ Integrated 10/100 Mbit 

Ethernet MAC 

■ Dedicated DMA interface 

for direct access to the 

entire system RAM 

■ Industry standard RMII/ 

MII interface to PHY 

■ Pre-programmed 

MAC address 

■ 80 MHz, up to 512 KB 

Flash, up to 128 KB RAM 

■ Available in 64-pin (TQFP, QFN) and 100-pin (TQFP, BGA) 

ENC624J600, ENC424J600 Embedded 

Ethernet Controllers 

■ Integrated MAC and 

10/100 Base-T PHY 

ENC624J600 

■ 24 KB transmit/ 

Security 

Engines 

receive buffer SRAM 

■ MCU Interface 

PIC18 

PIC24 

PIC32 

supported: SPI and 

MCU 

TX/RX 

Buffer 

MAC PHY 

dsPIC 

8/16-bit parallel 

® 

DSC 

■ Cryptographic 

Security Engines 

■ Pre-programmed 

unique MAC address 

■ Available in 44-pin (TQFP, QFN) and 64-pin (TQFP) 

SPI/Parallel 

Interface 

10/100 Mbps 

Ethernet 

ENC28J60 Embedded Ethernet Controller 

■ Integrated MAC and 

10 Base-T PHY 

■ 8 KB transmit/ 

receive buffer SRAM 

■ MCU Interface 

Supported: SPI 

■ Available in 28-pin 

SPDIP, SSOP, SOIC 

and QFN packages 

MAC Address Chips 

■ Pre-programmed EUI-48 

and EUI-64 node address 

■ Up to 1.5 Kb Serial EEPROM 

functionality 

SPI: 25AA02E48 

I 2 C: 24AA02E48 

UNI/O®: 11AA02E48 

www.microchip.com/MAC 

ENC28J60 

TX/RX 

Buffer 

10 Mbps 

Ethernet 

Development Tools Support 

PICDEM.net 2 Development Board (DM163024) 

This Ethernet development board supports 

both the ENC28J60 controller and the 

PIC18F97J60 MCU. With this board and 

Microchip’s free TCP/IP stack, a web server 

can be developed showcasing the capability to remotely 

monitor and control embedded applications over the Internet. 

PIC32 Ethernet Starter Kit (DM320004) 

Contains everything needed to develop 

Ethernet or USB peripheral/Host/OTG 

applications using the PIC32. The kit 

contains free Microchip TCP/IP software 

and the necessary cables. There is an 

integrated debugger/programmer on the board as well as 

an expansion connector. 

Fast 100 Mbps Ethernet PICtail Plus Daughter 

Board (AC164132) 

Populated with the ENC624J600, 

this Ethernet board interfaces to the 

RJ-45 connector. It can be plugged into 

the Explorer 16 development board 

(DM240001) and the PIC18 Explorer board 

(DM183032) allowing connection to any of Microchip’s 

8-, 16- and 32-bit products. 

Ethernet PICtail Plus Daughter Board (AC164123) 

This board is populated with the 28-pin 

ENC28J60 Ethernet controller which 

interfaces to the RJ-45 connector. It can be 

plugged into the Explorer 16 development 

board (DM240001), allowing connection 

to any of Microchip’s 16- and 32-bit products when used in 

conjunction with the free Microchip TCP/IP stack. 

SPI 

MAC 

PHY 


www.microchip.com/ethernet

Wireless Solutions 

Targeting the Need for Low Data Rate, Low Cost Wireless Sensor and Control Networks 

Wireless communication technologies have been common 

place in homes and industry for many years. Recent 

Smart Grid initiatives have created a renewed demand for 

standardized, low data rate, low power, wireless technology 

in metering, home, business and industrial automation 

markets. As a result, Microchip offers many IEEE 

802.11, IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee standard solutions 

along with our proprietary MiWi protocol for both 2.4 GHz 

and Sub-GHz to address this need. 

Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 

MRF24WB0MA/MB, RN171/RN131 Modules 

■ IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless modules 

■ Compatible with b/g/n routers 

■ Supports infrastructure and 

ad hoc networks 

■ FCC, IC, Wi-Fi certifi ed, ROHS, 

CE and ETSI compliant, providing 

considerable cost savings and quick 

time-to-market 

■ Supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 

security protocols 

■ License Free TCP/IP stack supporting a comprehensive 

suite of internet protocols 

More information is available at: www.microchip.com/wifi. 

Bluetooth 

RN41/RN42 Modules 

■ Ultra-low power embedded modules 

■ Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR module 

■ UART (SPP or HCI) and USB (HCI only) 

■ Onboard embedded Bluetooth stack 

■ Supports data link to iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch 

■ Auto-discovery/ paring 

ZigBee IEEE 802.15.4: 2.4 GHz 

MRF24J40/MA/MB/MC Modules 

■ 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.15.4 compatible 

transceiver and modules 

■ Integrated PCB antenna and matching 

circuit components 

■ FCC, IC and ETSI agency certifi ed 

■ Surface-mountable PCB 

■ Supports ZigBee and MiWi 

development environment 

Sub-GHz Solutions: 433/868/915/950 MHz 

MRF89XA/M8A/M9A Modules 

■ 868/915/950 MHz transceiver 

and modules 

■ Low receive current = 3 mA 

■ Transmit power = +12.5 dBm 

■ Receiver sensitivity: 

−107 dBm FSK/−113 dBm OOK 

■ Integrated PCB antenna and matching circuit components 

■ FCC, IC and ETSI agency certifi ed 

■ Surface-mountable PCB 

■ Supports MiWi development environment 

MiWi Development Environment 

MiWi DE is designed to provide a smaller footprint, lower 

cost, communication protocol stack for peer-to-peer 

and mesh wireless networks. Intended for customers 

who desire robust communication in a closed or private 

wireless network at either 2.4 GHz or Sub-GHz operation 

frequency. 

■ MiWi P2P 

■ MiWi 

■ MiWi PRO 

More information is available at: www.microchip.com/miwi. 

Integrated MCU + RF 

Low-power Sub-GHz transmitters with PIC MCUs in a 

single package for remote keyless entry, garage door 

openers, remote control and other one-way communication 

applications. 

■ PIC12F529T48A/39A 

■ PIC12LF1840T48A/39A 

More inforamtion is available at: 

www.microchip.com/security. 

The Wireless Development Studio (WDS) 

The WDS is a Java based Graphic User Interface (GUI) 

which allows quick and easy development of wireless 

applications based on the MiWi protocols. It features a 

MiWi protocol sniffer for monitoring, debugging and 

gathering information and a configurator with a graphical 

user interface that enables the simple customization and 

configuration of wireless networks. 

Microchip offers ZigBee certified compliant platforms for 

ZigBee PRO and ZigBee RF4CE protocol stacks ensuring 

interoperability and reliable communication. 

■ ZigBee PRO Stack 

■ Smart Energy Profi le 

■ ZigBee RF4CE and ZRC Profi le 

More information is available at: www.microchip.com/zigbee. 

www.microchip.com/wireless Graphics Quick Reference Guide 5

LIN and CAN Bus Solutions 

Taking Communication and Connectivity in Deeply Embedded Designs to the Next Level 

Local Interconnect Network (LIN) 

LIN/J2602 is a communication standard designed to 

address low-cost networking within vehicles. LIN enables 

a cost-effective communication network for lower speed 

switch, smart sensor and actuator applications within 

the vehicle where the bandwidth and versatility of CAN 

is not required. LIN can be implemented on any PIC 

microcontroller (MCU) with a UART or USART interface. 

Microchip also offers a robust physical layer interface, 

data link layer implementation, LIN compliant drivers and a 

variety of development resources. 

Standalone LIN Transceivers 

The MCP2003/4(A) family of LIN transceivers offers a 

standalone LIN transceiver option. Both parts meet LIN 

bus specification versions 1.3, 2.0 and 2.1 and SAE 

J2602. The transceivers' EMC/ESD performance is 

among the best in the industry and meets all automotive 

requirements. The MCP2003A is available in an industry 

standard 8-pin SOIC pin out. The MCP2004A offers a 

TXE/Fault pin which allows users the ability to disable the 

transmitter in addition to providing data related to a fault 

condition. 

LIN Transceivers With Voltage Regulator 

The MCP202XA family of LIN transceivers integrates the 

LIN physical layer, 3.3V or 5V internal voltage regulator, 

with a maximum output current of 70 mA. 

The devices support LIN bus specification versions 1.3, 

2.0 and 2.1 and SAE J2602 and are designed to meet 

the stringent EMC/ESD requirements of the world’s auto 

makers. 

Microchip also offers the MCP2050 LIN Transceiver with 

Voltage regulator, windowed watchdog timer and ratio 

metric VBAT pin that allows for monitoring battery levels by 

a MCU A/D converter. 

Controller Area Network (CAN) 

CAN is a serial communication protocol used extensively 

for high speed embedded applications where noise 

immunity and robustness is necessary. CAN protocol 

supports speeds up to 1 Mbps and is highly fault-tolerant, 

making it ideal for safety critical applications. 

Microchip offers a complete line of products to meet 

the needs of high-performance embedded applications 

using the CAN protocol, including 8-, 16- and 32-bit 

microcontrollers and 16-bit digital signal controllers with 

integrated CAN, standalone CAN controllers, I/O expanders 

and CAN transceivers. 

CAN MCUs and DSCs 

The 8-bit PIC18F66K80 family offers the industry's best 

Sleep current of less than 20 nA, a wide operating voltage 

range of 1.8 to 5.5V and an advanced touch sensing 

interface. The 16-bit PIC24 and dsPIC33 families offer 

higher density Flash memories and high temperature 

operation of up to 150°C ambient. The 32-bit PIC32 family 

offers higher performance and better peripheral integration 

like Ethernet and USB. 

At the heart of Microchip’s CAN offering is the 

enhanced CAN module offered on-board many Microchip 

microcontrollers. Key features include: 

■ CAN 1.2, CAN 2.0A and CAN 2.0B support 

■ 32 buffers for TX/RX 

■ 32 acceptance fi lters 

■ 4 acceptance mask fi lters 

■ Time stamping 

■ DMA support in 16-bit PIC24H and PIC32 

microcontrollers and dsPIC33F digital signal controllers 

■ DeviceNet support 

■ Legacy mode 

Standalone CAN Controller 

Microchip Technology’s MCP2515 is a stand-alone 

Controller Area Network (CAN) controller that implements 

the CAN specification, version 2.0B. It is capable of 

transmitting and receiving both standard and extended 

data and remote frames. The MCP2515 interfaces with 

MCUs via an industry standard Serial Peripheral Interface 

(SPI) and can be used as an easy method to implement 

CAN in an existing system. 

CAN Transceivers 

The MCP2551 is a high-speed CAN device that serves as 

the interface between a CAN controller and the physical 

bus. The MCP2551 provides differential transmit and 

receive capability for the CAN protocol controller and is 

fully compatible with the ISO-11898 standard, including 

24V requirements. 


www.microchip.com/lin

Development Resources and Other Options 

Providing Comprehensive System Solutions 

CAN/LIN Development Tools 

With easy-to-use development systems and application 

notes, Microchip provides a total CAN/LIN solution that 

enables low-risk product development, lower total system 

cost and faster time to market for high performance 

embedded designs. 

LIN Serial Analyzer Development System (APGDT001) 

CAN BUS Analyzer (APGDT002) 

The LIN and CAN analyzer development 

tools enables a PC to communicate 

with the LIN and CAN buses. The PC 

program uses a graphical user interface 

to enter and display message frames 

occurring on the target bus, allowing for 

easy debug. The tools can also be used 

as an active node on a bus to send and 

receive messages, therefore reducing 

the application development time. 

CAN/LIN PICtail Plus Daughter Board (AC164130-2) 

This daughter board can be used with 

the Explorer 16 Development board and 

various PIMs featuring 16- and 32-bit 

MCUs with CAN peripherals, or the PIC18 

Explorer board with the PIC18F66K80 

PIM to facilitate rapid implementation and evaluation of 

CAN and LIN applications. 

PICkit 28-pin LIN Demonstration Board (DM164130-3) 

The PICkit 28-pin LIN demo board enables 

a quick start in developing and debugging 

applications with the LIN drivers. The kit 

includes a 28-pin socket which supports 

various PIC16F devices, includes a LIN 

transceiver, plus a generous prototype area 

with various indicator LEDs and buttons to 

support the test and debug of the application. 

PICDEM CAN-LIN 3 Demonstration Board 

(DM163015) 

The PICDEM CAN-LIN 3 demo board is 

an easy way to discover the power of 

Microchip’s CAN and LIN products. The 

board demonstrates the main features of 

the 64-pin TQFP PIC18F6680 and 80-pin 

TQFP PIC18F8680 devices, including those features of the 

integrated CAN module. In addition, the board employs a LIN 

sub-network using Microchip's 20-pin SSOP PIC18F1320 and 

MCP201 LIN Bus. 

LIN Software Library 

LIN Data Link Layer firmware can be downloaded 

free-of-charge from Microchip’s web site. Many third 

party companies also offer LIN Data Link Layer firmware, 

providing additional design options. 

Other Connectivity Options 

While the most sophisticated protocols and interfaces 

tend to garner a significant amount of attention, a 

number of simpler connectivity options are and will 

remain the embedded interconnects of choice for many 

deeply embedded applications. Microchip’s focus on the 

embedded market ensures an ongoing commitment to 

support all of the connectivity solutions utilized by leading 

designers, including the microcontroller peripherals, 

application notes and software necessary to implement 

robust, highly reliable embedded networks. 

RS-485 Protocol 

The RS-485 protocol is typically used as a more featurerich 

alternative to RS-232. The protocol enables longer 

distance between nodes and higher data rates. Any 

PIC microcontroller with an on-board UART can support 

RS-485 communication. Many PIC microcontrollers include 

enhanced peripherals with an RS-485 mode. 

IrDA Protocol 

The IrDA protocol provides many portable devices with an 

affordable, short distance optical data communications 

link. IrDA can be implemented on many Microchip MCUs 

using Microchip's free-of-charge IrDA software stack. In 

addition, Microchip offers UART to IrDA protocol converter 

products (MCP2140A, MCP2150) to enable any system to 

easily add IrDA wireless connectivity. 

IrDA PICtail Plus Daughter Board (AC164124) 

Enables IrDA connectivity when used 

with the Explorer 16 development board 

(DM240001). 

MCP2140 Wireless Temperature Sensor 

Demonstration Board (MCP2140DM-TMPSNS) 

Demonstrates the communication of 

temperature data to a primary device (PDA 

or PC with IR port) via IrDA. 

www.microchip.com/can Graphics Quick Reference Guide 7

Support 

Microchip is committed to supporting its customers 

in developing products faster and more efficiently. We 

maintain a worldwide network of field applications 

engineers and technical support ready to provide product 

and system assistance. In addition, the following service 

areas are available at www.microchip.com: 

■ Support link provides a way to get questions 

answered fast: http://support.microchip.com 

■ Sample link offers evaluation samples of any 

Microchip device: http://sample.microchip.com 

■ Forum link provides access to knowledge base and 

peer help: http://forum.microchip.com 

■ Buy link provides locations of Microchip Sales Channel 

Partners: www.microchip.com/sales 

Training 

If additional training interests you, then Microchip can 

help. We continue to expand our technical training options, 

offering a growing list of courses and in-depth curriculum 

locally, as well as significant online resources – whenever 

you want to use them. 

■ Technical Training Centers: www.microchip.com/training 

■ MASTERs Conferences: www.microchip.com/masters 

■ Worldwide Seminars: www.microchip.com/seminars 

■ eLearning: www.microchip.com/webseminars 

■ Resources from our Distribution and Third Party Partners 

www.microchip.com/training 

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11/29/11 

Information subject to change. The Microchip name and logo, the Microchip logo, dsPIC, MPLAB and PIC are registered trademarks 

and PICDEM, PICtail and mTouch are trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. © 2012 

Energizer. Energizer and other marks are trademarks owned by Energizer. All other trademarks mentioned herein are property of 

their respective companies. © 2012, Microchip Technology Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the EU. 8/12 DS01181J 

ML2017Eng08.12 

*DS01181J* 

www.microchip.com 

Microchip Technology Inc. 

2355 W. Chandler Blvd. 

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Fig. 2: Using energy harvesting in a bus bell push from BMAC. 

Battery powered push buttons also prove inadequate as they 

require routine replacement, regular maintenance and have a 

negative impact on the environment, especially in their waste 

cycle,” says Andy Overend, Sales Manager at BMAC. “With the 

batteryless wireless technology we have developed a totally 

electro mechanical Wireless Bell Push system – solving all these 

problems.” 

Other technology suppliers are also focussing on energy 

harvesting for its lower costs and long lifetime. Silicon Labs has 

integrated DC-DC converters into its 8-bit wireless microcontrollers, 

simplifying energy harvesting system development. 

“Energy harvesting technology has grown quite popular 

and is expected to become even more prevalent in the coming 

years for the many benefits it provides to embedded system 

designs,” said Farris Bar, Senior Applications Engineer at Silicon 

Laboratories. “Properly designed energy harvesting systems 

are capable of operating perpetually once they overcome the 

initial power-on reset. With careful system design, the lifespan 

of energy harvesting systems can be extended to more than 20 

years.” 

The company’s recent acquisition of Ember provides 32-bit 

microcontroller and Zigbee wireless expertise through a team 

in Cambridge, UK. This will form the base of a 32-bit wireless 

capability that can be powered by energy harvesting sensors. 

BMAC used modules from German energy harvesting specialist 

EnOcean, which opened up its technology in an open 

standard earlier in the year. This has boosted the EnOcean 

Alliance to around 300 members, adding companies such as 

Somfy, Telefunken Smart Building, Deuta Controls, Weinzierl, 

Dooya, Viessmann, Waldmann, NEC, Omron, Vimar and NTT. 

The technology, now part of the ISO/IEC 14543-3-10 standard, 

has been integrated into 1000 interoperable products so far with 

smart home solutions emerging as a new trend. 

“In 2011, wireless sensors accounted for just over 15% of 

the 21 million building automation sensors shipped in the EMEA 

and the Americas markets combined. The number of wireless 

sensors is forecast to increase to over 25% of total building 

automation sensors in EMEA and the Americas by 2015,” said 

William Rhodes, Senior Market Analyst at IHS IMS Research. 

“The success of the EnOcean Alliance shows that we are still 

a long way from exhausting the application opportunities for energy 

harvesting wireless technology in buildings and other application 

fields,” said Graham Martin, chairman of the EnOcean 

Alliance. “More and more companies worldwide are recognising 

the potential of this maintenance-free technology for the development 

of intelligent and energy-efficient solutions.” 

German system developer IQfy has developed two smart 

home systems using energy harvesting. The IQ Chair features 

integrated wireless technology that uses a batteryless motion 

sensor to control lighting, heating and ventilation based on 

presence. This automation function can save up to 40 percent 

of electricity and energy costs in offices – without any negative 

effects on employees’ work routines. With IQ Mat, a motion 

sensor integrated into a mattress registers the presence of 

someone in the bed, and automatically controls lighting, heating 

or electrical devices. For example, night lighting may be 

triggered if the physical load on the mattress is removed during 

night hours. 

This week in Birmingham, UK, Ecologix Controls is demonstrating 

its latest energy harvesting CO 2 

, temperature and humidity 

sensor alongside its Eco-Sphere Energy Manager to help 

streamline the operational costs of buildings, while leading UK 

switch supplier MK Electric is using the EnOcean technology to 

place switches anywhere without having to worry about wiring. 

Its Echo range of energy harvesting wireless switches make 

use of the energy generated by slight changes in pressure, light 

levels or temperature. 

Table 1: International Energy Efficiency Scorecard by the 

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). 




Merging the benefits of CCD 

and CMOS for imaging 

By Enrico Marchesi 

Over the last decades, the imager world has seen numerous 

publications on the comparison of CCD and CMOS imaging 

technologies. Intense discussions and even fierce disputes 

about the superiority of either approach took place. While these 

discussions and the development they have spurred may have 

been fruitful in terms of technological progress, users of such 

imagers were forced to make a choice and to accept the subsequent 

consequences. There were distinct trade-offs between 

the two approaches that needed close consideration and careful 

balancing with the application in mind. 

From a user’s point of view this wasn’t always desirable. 

Why couldn’t one have their cake and eat it too? And what 

coherent reasoning did we offer the application engineer for 

that constraint? After all, both technologies are based on the 

same semiconductor process technology. There are, of course, 

reasons that explain to some extent why these two approaches 

emerged in parallel. Nevertheless, an inherent physical or technological 

separation no longer exists. 

Just over a decade ago, there was no arguing about which 

technology had the crown when it came to actual imaging performance. 

CCDs had a 30 year history during which they were 

specifically tailored to and optimized for imaging applications. 

Technical limitation in process technology kept CMOS well 

behind. In the 1990’s, however, CMOS imagers had emerged 

as candidates with a compelling potential. Being used in large 

volumes for memory and logic devices, the cost potential of this 

technology was highlighted on the radar of imager companies. 

Reduced power consumption and a high degree of integration 

(SoC devices) matched the requirements of the rapidly growing 

consumer electronics markets. 

Today it seems that CMOS has 

won the race. Not all the promises 

were fulfilled as expected, though. The 

predicted cost advantage was surely 

not met as significant increases in pixel 

and process complexity were necessary 

in order to catch up with CCD imaging 

performance on one hand and to 

compensate for the detrimental effects 

on analog signals in sub-micron CMOS 

structures on the other. Nevertheless, 

the advantages still dominate. In 

2011 CMOS sensors accounted for 92 

percent of all area image sensors and 

this share is projected to increase to 97 

percent by 2015. The difficult choice seems over. 

Espros Photonics (epc) from Switzerland has developed 

and industrialized its CMOS process to break away with the 

traditional separation of CMOS and CCD functionality. Within 

this environment, the process does not strictly determine the 

border between the charge and voltage domain. A special set 

Enrico Marchesi is Head of Marketing & Sales at Espros 

Photonics AG - www.espros.ch 

Fig. 2: Quantum efficiency of epc detectors. 

Fig. 1: epc’s back side illumination concept. 

of proprietary process design features allow for the definition of 

dedicated areas for charge handling within each pixel separately 

while at the same time keeping the option of true CMOS 

analogue pixel design. And combined with an advanced Back 

Side Illumination (BSI) concept, this full design freedom comes 

without any drawback in the fill factor. 

Starting with quantum efficiency 

A pivotal requirement for the process development was the 

maximization of the quantum efficiency over a broad wavelength 

range reaching well into the near infrared. Today’s imaging 

applications are not confined to a specific wavelength. From 

classical consumer and performance imaging in the visible 

spectrum to IR operation in industrial applications and further to 

multispectral and hyperspectral imagers in space, each application 

typically requires its specific range. Naturally, the more an 

imager process is able to cover, the higher the potential for success. 

Furthermore, as noise is always an issue in imaging, any 

increase in quantum efficiency will basically improve the noise 

behaviour with all other factors being equal. There’s simply 

more charge available to create a signal. 

The absorption length of light in 

silicon inherently determines the quantum 

efficiency. Hence it is important to 

consider the thickness of the depleted 

detector area as one of the key design 

parameters. The choice of a suitable 

substrate material contributes among 

other things to a fully depleted detector 

thickness of 50µm in epc imagers. 

Figure 1 illustrates this basic concept. 

epc detectors feature an entirely sensitive 

backside with an optical entrance 

window that can be further tuned with 

appropriate anti-reflection coatings. The 

devices are thinned to a thickness of 50µm. In effect, the chip 

is depleted through the entire thickness of 50µm. The resulting 

quantum efficiency is essentially limited only by the material 

properties of silicon-based detectors – see figure 2. And unlike 

many conventional BSI imagers, epc imagers do not require 

wire bonding to establish the depletion voltage. The backside 

contacts are a process-specific feature and all physical contacts 

remain on the frontside of the chip. 

The deployed measures to optimize quantum efficiency are 

not a stringent precondition per se for a successful merge of the 


CCD and CMOS features. They facilitate, however, the mitigation 

of each technology’s limitations as illustrated in the following 

sections. 

A true merge of CCD and CMOS 

A major advantage of epc’s BSI concept is the optical detectors’ 

100% fill factor, independent of the numbers of transistors 

in the pixel. Looking at the common requirement of global 

shuttering, these advantages become evident. CMOS requires 

additional transistors in each pixel in order to realize global 

shuttering. This usually comes at a loss in fill factor with adverse 

effects on device responsivity. In the Espros Photonic CMOS 

process, shuttering is completely implemented in the charge 

domain and can be controlled in very short timeframes. What’s 

more, repetitive shuttering with frame-store functionality in dedicated 

frame buffers is also possible. However, the full CMOS 

analogue design features including high voltage transistors and 

EEPROM blocks remain available for the pixel architecture – all 

of which come with no compromise in the fill factor. Responsivity 

also benefits from the availability of low power high gain 

CMOS amplifiers. And the previously mentioned quantum 

efficiency advantage plays a vital supporting role in this respect 

by providing higher charges in the first place. 

Dealing with noise 

When dealing with noise performance, the most suitable design 

measures from both worlds can be applied in a complementary 

way. Traditionally, CMOS used to be much more prone to noise, 

not in the least due to restrictions resulting from limited real 

estate inside the pixel. Source follower geometries are limited 

by size and complex architectures such as multiple read out 

stages compromise the requirement to keep noise levels low. 

Although, one has to admit that with recent developments in 

CMOS process technology, the differences are dwindling. In 

a mixed-process environment, the design engineer can apply 

CCD pixel designs with all the noise advantages. In-pixel source 

followers do not suffer size restrictions due to BSI and CMOS 

readout and amplification stages can be deployed where they 

deliver the best performance (e.g. in high gain amplifiers). As a 

consequence, the dynamic range will benefit from the ability to 

Fig. 3: Pulse response following a 10ns LED pulse with a rise/ 

fall time of 12ns. 

accumulate and handle large charge amounts and the degree of 

freedom in pixel design supports the implementation of dedicated 

high dynamic range architectures. 

Speed 

Speed is another requirement often stressed in imaging. A 

closer differentiation is appropriate in order to reveal the benefits 

on speed. First, speed is determined by an efficient photon 

conversion and the subsequent charge collection mechanisms. 

These mechanisms are limited by diffusion and by drift velocities 

related to the levels of the applied depletion voltage. Higher 

depletion voltages generate stronger fields and result in faster 

drifts and therefore in faster charge separation and detection. 

In the Espros Photonic CMOS environment, a combination of 

suitable substrate material and high field charge handling lead 

to reaction times in the nanosecond range – see figure 3. 

Moving one step further and looking at the speed delivered 

by the imager as an entity, we are back to the significant advantages 

of CMOS in designing ultra-fast and highly sophisticated 

system on chip solutions. 

New opportunities and incremental 

improvements 

The above sections illustrate only an arbitrary choice of examples 

of how the combination of CCD and CMOS process 

technologies support better performing optical silicon detectors. 

In fact, virtually all known trade-offs that used to exist when 

considering one particular technology are now obsolete. The in- 




herent combination of CCD and CMOS features 

are combined with a best in class detector performance 

in the near IR range. Advanced, cost 

efficient packaging technologies are another 

crucial feature to pave the road to a large field 

of applications. However, the business case still 

needs to be made. 

Market shares of CCD based imagers are 

crumbling. An interesting but not necessarily 

relevant question is how these markets would 

Fig. 4: 3D ToF camera-on-chip 

temporal resolution required to tackle the received 

signal is in the sub-nanosecond range (50ps or 

less). At the same time, there is an ambient light 

overlay at several orders of magnitude higher than 

the modulated illumination. Without very powerful 

charge separation and charge handling engines, 

the depth resolution will be way beyond practical 

values or completely masked by the ambient 

light signal, or both. Furthermore, the size, the 

power consumption and the cost of available 

have developed if there had not been such a clear separation 

between the two technologies. And when looking at the market 

figures cited in the first section, one needs to be careful to put 

these figures in the right context. There are still application 

segments that heavily rely on CCD based devices such as line 

scanners and high performance TDI (Time-Delayed-Imager) systems. 

At the same time, the market demand for imager-based 

system solutions is growing at a steady pace. Should we assume 

that there will always remain a “CCD market”? Maybe, but 

again probably not a relevant question, or at least an incomplete 

one. The sole attempt of merely improving current imagers lacks 

vision. 

With the availability of new technological options, the relevant 

questions should circle around the new options that such 

steps enable. The imaging market will continue to grow but it 

will also broaden with respect to the possible new solutions 

and applications. The Espros Photonic CMOS process arguably 

delivers significant but incremental performance improvements 

in classic imaging aspects. It has already proven to be a radical 

innovation. Prime examples are Time of Flight (TOF) cameras, 

which find applications in many domains. In a TOF imager, the 

cameras are still in a range that inhibits commercial use in larger 

volumes. The ToF imagers from epc solve these problems. The 

pixel performance in terms of signal quality is superb in any respect. 

And a highly integrated SoC approach results in cameraon-chip 

devices that are well compatible with the functionality 

and price requirements of large-scale markets – see figure 4. 

With a more classical imager point of view, there are numerous 

options to combine intelligent pixels with system-on-chip 

designs. Think of memory-configurable TDI line scanners with 

multiple frame storage capabilities and built-in signal processing 

and amplification. Or look at the replacement of microchannel 

tubes or photomultiplier tubes for near IR detection at a 

fraction of today’s system prices as well as having the capability 

to output in the digital domain. With booming imaging markets 

and requirements for better performance, higher integration and 

lower cost, there are plenty of opportunities. Be it in established 

application fields such as industrial and scientific imaging, or in 

new solutions like optical gesture control, fluorescence imaging 

or even particle physics. The creativity of imager specialists and 

system designers alike will determine where these new process 

options lead to and which product innovations they yield. 

Enhancing automotive safety through 

advanced IR sensor technology 

By Luc Buydens 

Occupancy classification system (OCS) implementations 

have become an increasingly standard part of the safety capabilities 

found in modern cars. They offer a means by which to 

ensure that, if an impact occurs, a passenger airbag is deployed 

in the most effective way to protect the passenger and avoid 

injuries. This is done by using some form of sensor technology 

to determine the height and build of the occupant. The following 

article looks at how the progression to next generation OCS 

is helping to assure passenger wellbeing to a much greater 

degree. 

The basic structure of an OCS is as follows - a sensor system 

will start by confirming whether or not there is a passenger 

occupying the seat, then it assesses the passenger’s physical 

characteristics. This information is subsequently passed to 

an electronic control unit (ECU) which gauges the appropriate 

response so that the air bag is triggered at full speed or at a 

slower rate. Early systems tended to employ reasonably basic 

sensing mechanisms. These consisted, for example, of pressure 

Luc Buydens is Marketing Manager of Infrared Sensor Products 

at Melexis – www.melexis.com 

sensors embedded within the seating 

frame, which were used to measure 

the person’s weight and from 

this derive a rough estimate of their 

height. This, along with the other 

methods of a similar nature (such 

as sensing the tension in the seatbelt) 

still left room for inaccuracies. 

The correlation between weight 

and height is not that well defined. 

Also it is not possible to take into 

account the possibility that instead 

of a passenger occupying the seat 

it could in fact be boxes that were 

placed there, for instance, as there 

is no a way of confirming whether a 

human being or an inanimate object 

is in the seat. Integration of sensors 

into the seating frame is also costly, 

especially if repair or replacement 

needs to be done. 

Fig. 1: the Melexis FIRray 

infrared sensor array. 


The need for change was further underlined as child booster 

car seats and rear-facing baby/infant car seats started to appear 

on the market, as this raised concerns about how these 

would be affected by airbag deployment. Therefore there is 

now a trend towards more sophisticated classification systems, 

often utilizing opto-electronic technology. 

Any OCS solution that uses opto-electronic sensing needs to 

be in the line of sight of the area of interest (i.e. somewhere that 

the view of where the passenger is situated is not obstructed). 

The field of view (FoV) requirements are relatively constrained, 

with 40 ºx10 º normally being more than enough. The 

sensor should have a reasonably low 

frame rate of 4 Hz to 8 Hz, with a sensing 

range in the region of one meter. 

These criteria do not really pose 

major technological difficulties, but 

when studying the system at a more 

detailed level, difficulties begin to 

surface if opto-electronically activated 

OCS arrangements use the visible part 

of the spectrum as their sensing media. 

Several notable drawbacks are associated 

with following this strategy. 

Efficient 

from the wall 

FIR performance considerations 

For a FIR-based OCS mechanism a wide dynamic range is not 

needed, the sensor array just has to cover -40 ⁰C to 85 ⁰C. The 

optical resolution is not too demanding either, as the passenger’s 

position will be in a known area. The thermal resolution 

is far more important though - this needs to be in the ±0.25 ⁰K 

range. It is important that the heat effect of sunlight entering the 

vehicle cabin is taken into account. To do this it is necessary to 

cut off the visible light spectra and near infrared (NIR) spectra 

using an optical filter, so that these do not interfere in any way 

with the sensor. 

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Problems with OCS using 

visible light 

There are of course day/night light level 

variations when visible light is used 

for OCS sensing mechanisms, which 

call for active cabin illumination to be 

included (this is normally placed on the 

inside of the car’s roof or on the front 

console). Hats, long hair, beards, bright 

colored items clothing, etc, can all 

have a detrimental effect on the optical 

classification process too. As a result 

the accuracy of such sensor technology 

and its exposure to anomalies is a 

major concern. Visible sensing systems 

require a relatively costly microcontroller 

unit (MCU) as the processing power 

involved will be fairly high. 

Use of thermal far infrared (FIR) 

technology, working in the wavelength 

range from 5 µm to 15 µm, is becoming 

increasingly of interest in automotive 

passenger occupancy classification applications. 

One of the great advantages 

of a FIR imaging system is that, as it 

detects radiated heat at the frequencies 

which the human body emits, it 

is much better at differentiating inanimate 

objects from a real passenger. 

This methodology is not ambient light 

dependent, so there is no performance 

difference between day or night operation. 

The need for active cabin lighting 

is thus dispensed with. Furthermore, 

considerably less processing power 

needs to be devoted towards it. These 

last two points make the overall system 

complexity and cost far lower. 

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Though the signal processing for a sensing system of this type 

will be less cumbersome than that for a visible sensor, there 

is still the need to keep overall complexity down, in order to 

ensure that operational speed and signal to noise are both high, 

while cost and ease of implementation are both low. 

Through technical collaboration between Melexis and Heimann 

Sensor GmbH it has been possible to develop compact, 

cost-effective FIR sensor arrays that bring together the functional 

performance of high sensitivity thermopiles with sophisticated 

but streamlined signal processing. Each FIRray sensing 

device has multiple thermopile sensor elements and can be 

used to build up a simple map of the heat values over the target 

area in real time. Every thermopile within the array effectively 

has its own electronic amplifier and data converter. This avoids 

the need to time multiplex the thermopiles’ signal and reduces 

considerably the signal noise. Conversely it provides the necessary 

performance without the need to specify a more expensive 

microbolometer device. 

The array greatly simplifies the thermal imaging system it is 

integrated into by immediately capturing data from 64 pixels. 

It has an adjustable frame rate that more than covers what is 

needed for even the most high performance OCS systems. Accuracy 

levels of ±1.5 °K are maintained when operating in the 0 

°C to 50 °C range. By having its own devoted signal processing 

for each of its constituent sensing elements the noise issues 

exhibited in visible systems can be circumvented. In addition, 

interfacing is also much simpler to implement. Use of a high 

speed I2C compatible digital serial interface and a triggered 

mode for synchronization with a control unit means these 

devices can, in additional to being used individually, be combined 

together to form an array with a larger imaging resolution 

if needed. 

Industrial laser system resistant to vibrations 

and chemicals 

The MIL-300RH (650nm red laser diode) and MIL-300- 

GH (532nm green laser diode) ruggedized industrial laser 

systems from BEA Lasers are well suited for metal-forming, 

alignment, punch presses, welding, positioning, drilling, 

targeting and many other heavy industrial applications. The 

system includes a 12mm connector fitted to a black zinc 

coated, stainless steel laser diode housing. The optics can 

be standard round, line, cross (no additional charge), or a 

target. It comes with a black PVC coated 2-meter long cable 

with a straight, or 90° connector and a 3.3 Vdc switching 

power supply. The units are liquid-resistant and built to withstand 

vibration, chemicals, impact and dust conditions, as 

well as most other harsh environmental conditions. 

BEA Lasers 

www.bealasers.com 

Fig. 2: Thermal profile of seat occupants. 

Conclusion 

With approximately 35,000 fatalities on the roads of EU member 

states each year, the importance of developing more effective 

automotive safety systems cannot be underestimated. The 

utilization of airbags has made a marked contribution to reducing 

the death toll, but there is still a need for this to be lowered 

further. As passive occupancy identification mechanisms are 

superseded by smarter systems which are better able to determine 

who or what is located in the passenger seat, the effectiveness 

of airbag deployment will be further improved and the 

risk of harm ensuing thereby minimized. Through the development 

of more advanced OCS implementations based on optoelectronics, 

greater strides can be made in passenger safety. It 

is clear, however, that sensors operating in the visible spectrum 

will tend to have their performance reduced by variations in light 

level and other irregularities. As FIR sensing techniques offer 

equal or better performance with far less costly data processing 

than visible alternatives, they can see greater uptake from car 

manufacturers. 

Super bright coloured LEDs delivered in 

1.0x0.5x0.35mm 0402 ChipLED packages 

Vishay Intertechnology has released a new series of super 

red, soft orange, yellow, yellow green, blue, and white ultrabright 

LEDs in a tiny surface-mount 0402 ChipLED package 

measuring just 1.0x0.5x0.35mm. 

The VLMx1500-GS08 series devices 

provide exceptional brightness 

with a luminous intensity up 

to 180 mcd. While the blue and 

white LEDs in the VLMx1500-GS08 

series use highly efficient InGaN 

technology, the super red, soft orange, yellow, and yellow 

green devices use the latest advanced AllnGaP technology 

to increase light output by a factor of three. With their high 

brightness and small size, VLMx1500-GS08 series LEDS are 

suitable indicator and backlighting applications. The colour 

LEDs are grouped by luminous intensity, wavelength, and 

forward voltage, they offer a wide viewing angle of 130°. The 

white LEDs are chromaticity coordinated categorized according 

to CIE 1931, per packing unit, with typical coordinates 

of 0.294 (x) and 0.286 (y) and a typical color temperature of 

7,000 K. 

VLMx1500-GS08 series LEDs are available in 8 mm tape. 

RoHS-compliant and Vishay GREEN, the devices are compatible 

with IR-reflow soldering processes and preconditioned 

according to JEDEC Level 2a. 

Vishay Intertechnology 

www.vishay.com 


Multi-voltage LED panel indicators for applications 

in harsh environments 

The multi-voltage LED panel indicators from Marl International provide universal 

options for applications in harsh and demanding environments. The standard and 

customised LED panel lamps include components that have an operating voltage 

input range from 12V- 48V AC/DC (a true bi-polar 

product) and 110-240V AC.This wide voltage option 

is available across a wide range of Marl panel 

indicators, in all the popular colours including red, 

green, blue, yellow and clear. Lens options include 

smoked, diffused or water clear. Most LEDs are 

specified with a service life of 100,000 hours and 

can be supplied with full environmental protection 

including sealing to IP67. They are assembled in 

robust anodised aluminium housing, and are offered 

with a range of mounting options to suit the customer’s enclosure. Electrically, Marl 

LEDs can be supplied with reverse polarity protection, or as fully bipolar components. 

Terminations available include flying leads, solder tags, screw terminals or solder pins. 

Marl International 

www.leds.co.uk 

Backlight LED drivers run from single cell to improve battery 

life in tablets and mobile devices 

Intersil has launched a family of backlight LED drivers that can operate from the 

low input voltage of a single cell Li-ion battery. The ISL9769x series are 90% efficient 

with a 3.7V input driving 6-parallel, 5-series LED configuration at 20mA/LED 

while the 0.8mA supply current and phase shifted PWM dimming improve energy 

efficiency. With a minimum input voltage of just 2.4V, and quiescent current of only 

0.8mA, the new ISL97692/3/4A series of LED drivers makes the most of the limited 

capacity of Li-Ion batteries in portable devices. The ISL97692 incorporates four 

channels with up to 40mA each, while the ISL97693 and ISL97694A provide six 

channels with up to 30mA each. All the drivers feature output current phase shifting 

which maximizes efficiency during PWM dimming and increases the effective 

output current frequency to eliminate audible noise. Additionally, when operating 

from a single cell Li-Ion battery, the drivers do not require any input voltage other 

than the battery, reducing board size and component count. 

Intersil 

www.intersil.com 

Touchless control sensor modules add multifunctional 

capabilities to LED lighting 

Touchless sensor modules now available from Rapid Electronics, add multifunctional 

capabilities to LED lighting, allowing users to switch and dim lighting in response to 

hand gestures and proximity, without the need for physical contact. Designed by German 

green technology specialist Fara, the 1-channel and 2-channel sensors operate 

by using IR technology up to a distance of 15cm. Passing 

a hand in front of the module switches lighting on and off; 

gesturing upwards with the hand performs the dimming 

function. On the 2 channel sensors, which provide 2PWM, 

the proximity function allows for differing colours to be 

mixed and reset according to hand gesture. Colour temperatures 

can be mixed and bespoke shades created. When 

used in conjunction with LED lighting, the Fara touchless modules are well suited for 

health and medical environments, where a sterile atmosphere is a key requirement. 

They can also operate in bright sunlight and behind glass. No switches are required, 

and all components can be used independently of each other. The 2xPWM module 

is supported by a programming adaptor that enables the utilisation of seven different 

firmware functions such as dimming and colour mixing. 

Rapid 

www.rapidonline.com 



DATA ACQUISITION 

Voice input processing for automotive 

speech recognition systems 

By Sverrir Olafsson 

IN A QUIET, controlled environment, today’s speech recognition 

engines have become quite effective. Whether doing dictation 

with a quality headset in a quiet office, or giving searchphrases 

to a smartphone in a silent room, hit rates of close to 

100 percent are now commonly achieved. However, adding a 

few disturbances tends to quickly degrade the performance. 

The automobile environment is one of the most challenging in 

this respect. A variety of noise sources both outside of the car 

(passing cars, honking horns) and inside (multiple passengers 

talking, the air conditioning fan, the radio) along with audio 

reverberations off the hard surfaces result in the lackluster performance 

with which many car owners are familiar. Further, in 

order to avoid false triggers, the driver of the car needs to push 

a button to trigger the speech command system. This is not just 

a nuisance but also a safety hazard. 

Yet few applications could benefit more from using speech 

recognition for voice command operation than the automobile. 

It is therefore critical and of great value if technology can make 

speech recognition more effective in cars, detecting commands 

reliably in the presence of all disturbances without use 

of button-presses. While fundamentally being a speech recognition 

problem, performance improvements will primarily come 

by processing the voice input signal by removing noise and 

disturbances. 

In recent years, one of the key areas that Conexant has 

focused its vast experience in audio technology is in Voice Input 

Processing (VIP). By doing careful design from the microphone 

interface, providing clean bias signals and lownoise pre-amplification 

and gain control, to implementing complex digital signal 

processing algorithms on its high-performance yet low-power 

DSPs, Conexant has been able to deliver VIP devices for a 

number of applications including TVs, home appliances and 

automobiles. Within those applications, one of the primary advantages 

of using the Conexant solution is to improve the performance 

of speech recognition engines, where the Conexant 

solution has been optimized for many of the common speech 

recognition algorithms for use in challenging environments. 

To achieve superior performance, several algorithms are employed 

to enhance the desired input signal and suppress noise 

sources in a coordinated manner. Conexant’s Selective Source 

Pickup (SSP) algorithm is uniquely able to separate the desired 

signal from the noise sources by analyzing statistical and 

spatial information in the signal. The interference coming from 

the local loudspeakers is cancelled with Conexant’s advanced 

Multichannel Acoustic Echo Canceller (MAEC), reverberation 

is suppressed with a novel de-reverberation algorithm, and the 

remaining environmental noise is attenuated by a Non-Stationary 

Noise Reduction (NSNR) algorithm. Tuning these algorithms 

together, and in particular if they are tuned for a specific speech 

recognition engine, can vastly improve the word hit rate without 

any changes to the speech recognition system. 

Sverrir Olafsson is VP of engineering at Conexant - 

www.conexant.com 

Selective source pickup (SSP) 

Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is an emerging area 

of research within audio technology that attempts to separate 

or extract different voice or noise sources. Established in the 

early 90s, it is based on the idea that the underlying sources of 

a mixed signal are statistically independent. Using prior knowledge 

of the statistics of the certain types of signals combined 

with the measured correlation parameters, adaptive techniques 

can in fact separate or “de-mix” the combined signal to extract 

one or more of the underlying sources. Typically, ICA algorithms 

require an extreme amount of processing power and memory. 

This makes them impractical for implementation in embedded 

real-time systems. Conexant’s SSP algorithm utilizes some of 

the fundamental ideas from ICA, reduces these requirements to 

a practical level and yet delivers on the promise of separating 

one talker from another talker or from the environmental noise 

using only two microphones. The decision of which source 

to extract can be made in real time. The algorithm can simply 

extract the dominant talker or use the position of the talker with 

respect to the microphones to decide what signal to extract. In 

effect, this allows the VIP to zoom in on a single talker in a room 

or car filled with interference from other sources, which can 

be extremely useful for a speech recognition application in an 

automobile environment. 

Multi-channel acoustic echo cancelling 

(MAEC) 

One of the most controlled sources of noise in a car is the audio 

being played back from a radio or CD. Most current speech 

recognition systems require that audio playback be either attenuated 

or fully squelched for the recognition system to work. 

However, using echo cancellation techniques, the audio playback 

signal can be estimated as it appears at the microphone 

and subtracted out, leaving only the desired voice signal for the 

speech recognition engine. This is common practice for speakerphone 

conversations over Bluetooth, but with audio playback 

there are typically multiple speakers playing the audio, poten- 


Figure 1. Disturbances in 

automobile environment 

tially from multiple independent tracks. This makes the echo 

cancelling problem significantly more difficult, as the algorithm 

must try to estimate the different echo paths from the different 

speakers for multiple tracks from a limited number of microphones. 

Some MAEC algorithms require modification of the 

playback signal to be able to decorrelate the signals to where 

these echo paths can be resolved. For high-fidelity audio such 

modifications are not acceptable. Conexant has developed an 

MAEC algorithm that does not require any such modifications 

yet is able to deliver true full-duplex performance. The result is 

that the speech recognition engine can reliably detect speech 

even with audio playback at a high level, without the need for a 

button-push to lower or squelch the playback level first. 

High dynamic range analog to digital 

converter (ADC) 

Human hearing has a large dynamic range, allowing people to 

hear signals over a 100dB span. This in turn means that signals 

encountered in everyday life span this range, from low-level 

whispers to rock music testing the upper limits of hearing 

tolerance. For an audio input system to effectively process its 

relevant inputs and remove all extraneous noise, the analog to 

digital converter needs to be able to cleanly convert the signals 

at all levels without saturating the high-level ones and at the 

same time avoiding noticeable quantization noise in the ADC 

itself or noise from the input amplifier. Many of the DSP algorithms 

depend on linearity of the input signal, and if it is saturated 

they will quickly break down. If the speech input itself is 

saturated, the speech recognition algorithm will perform poorly. 

To achieve optimal performance, Conexant has developed a 

microphone pre-amplifier and ADC that can achieve 106 dB dynamic 

range, enough to cover the range of signal levels required 

for an automobile environment. For example, when playing loud 

music from the car radio, this dynamic range allows the MAEC 

to estimate and linearly subtract the radio signal echo received 

at the microphones, leaving only a clean representation of the 

driver’s commands. 

Figure 2. Conexant’s CX20805 voice input processor 

combined with a low power yet high performance 800 MIPS 

DSP to perform the sophisticated algorithms described above. 

Putting this all together, Conexant is able to offer a solution that 

significantly improves the quality of voice reception in multiple 

environments. In particular, it has the potential to enable voice 

command systems in automobiles to work reliably and dependably 

to where voice command becomes the preferred method 

of control by the driver. 

Conexant’s dedicated voice input processor 

Conexant has developed an integrated device, the CX20805, 

that performs all necessary voice input functions for speech 

recognition for multiple environments, including the automobile. 

It includes low-noise microphone preamplifiers and high 

dynamic range ADCs supporting up to four microphones, 

MPL AG, Täfernstr. 20, CH-5405 Dättwil/Switzerland 

Phone +41 56 483 34 34, Fax +41 56 493 30 20 




Low power system design optimizations 

with SAR A/D Converters 

By Shane O’Meara 

Power consumption is one of the key requirements for 

battery powered A/D converter applications today. The trends in 

portable hand held instruments for the medical, consumer and 

industrial markets are for reductions in size and weight, longer 

operating time per battery or per battery charge and cost reductions. 

This is often combined with an increased feature set. This 

is equally true for non-battery applications where the benefits 

of low power systems should not be overlooked. Low power 

systems don’t require heat sinks or fans, making them smaller, 

lower cost, more reliable—and greener. 

Many designers are faced with the challenge to design 

products with either reduced power budgets or products with 

enhanced features or performance while maintaining existing 

power budgets. 

With the huge selection of A/D converters on the market 

today choosing the correct part to meet specific system requirements 

is becoming ever more challenging. Once converter 

performances have been evaluated if low power is a must 

there are even more specifications that need to be considered. 

Understanding these specifications and how design decisions 

affect the power budget is essential for determining system 

power consumption and battery life calculations. 

For an A/D converter the average power consumption is a 

combination of the power used during conversion, the power 

used while not converting and the amount of time spent in each 

mode. This can be expressed by the following equation. 

Where: 

P AVG 

= Average power dissipated 

P CONV 

= Power dissipated during conversion 

P STBY 

= Power dissipated during standby or shutdown mode 

t CONV 

= Time spent converting 

t STBY 

= Time spent in standby or powerdown mode 

result in lower power consumption. 

All A/D converters on the market targeted at low power 

applications have powerdown or standby modes to conserve 

energy during periods of inactivity. The ADC is either powered 

down between single conversions, or a burst of conversions 

can be performed at a high throughput rate and then the ADC is 

powered down between these bursts of conversions. For single 

channel converters controlling the operating modes is generally 

integrated into the communication interface or occurs automatically 

once a conversion is complete. 

The advantage of integrating the mode control into the communication 

interface is a reduction in pin count. This results in 

reduced power consumption as there are fewer inputs to drive 

and less leakage current. Smaller pin counts also lead to smaller 

package sizes and less I/O required by the MCU. Whatever 

the control method being used, careful use of these modes will 

provide considerable power savings. 

Power is reduced in power-down modes as the name suggests 

by turning off parts of the ADC circuitry. The time to 

turn the circuitry that was shutdown back on determines the 

throughput rate at which such modes can be used effectively. 

An A/D converter with an internal reference the restart time 

will be determined by the time taken to recharge the reference 

capacitor. A/D converters using an external reference require 

enough time to track the analogue input correctly on restart. 

For all A/D converters on the market today, power scales 

with throughput. The power consumed is a combination of 

static and dynamic power. Static power is constant while the 

dynamic power scales linearly with throughput. Therefore power 

savings will be made by choosing the lowest throughput rate 

possible to suit the application. 

To reduce power consumption the power used during 

conversion and power down mode should be reduced. As the 

power used during conversion is much greater than the standby 

power the average power can be greatly reduced if the time in 

standby mode is increased. 

One of the biggest factors affecting system power usage is 

the choice of on-board power supplies. For battery applications 

the system will often be powered directly by a battery such as a 

3V lithium coin cell. This avoids the need for a low dropout voltage 

regulator thus saving on power, space and cost. Non battery 

applications also benefit from converters that have low Vdd 

supply ranges as power consumption scales with input voltage. 

Choosing the lowest Vdd possible for the A/D converter will 

Shane O’Meara is Application Engineer at Analog Devices 

- www.analog.com – he works in the Precision Converters 

Applications Group in Limerick, Ireland. 

Fig. 1: Power vs. throughput for AD7091R A/D converter. 


Figure 1 shows the typical power consumption for the latest 

ultra-low power A/D converter from Analog Devices for various 

throughput rates. Also shown is a comparison of how utilisation 

of the power down mode of the device can provide additional 

power savings especially with lower throughput rates. The 

AD7091R has an on-chip reference and therefore the throughput 

rate and utilisation of the power-down mode is determined 

by the reference recharge time. Figure 1 also shows the typical 

power consumption if an external reference is used. When an 

external reference is used the reference recharge time does not 

apply, just the time to turn the ADC circuitry that was powered 

down back on. Therefore the throughput rate where the power 

down mode can be used is greatly increased with an external 

reference. 

The most common methods for initiating conversion requests 

in A/D converters are via a dedicated conversion input pin or 

controlled th--rough the serial interface. With a dedicated input 

pin a conversion is initiated by a falling edge of a convert start 

pin. The conversion is then controlled by an on-chip oscillator 

and the result can be read back via the serial interface once the 

conversion is complete. Therefore the conversion is always run 

at an optimum constant speed allowing the device to enter low 

power mode the moment a conversion is complete thus saving 

power. 

With A/D converters where the sampling instant is initiated 

by a /CS falling edge the conversion is controlled by the SCLK 

signal. The SCLK frequency will affect the conversion time, 

throughput rate achievable and therefore the power consumption. 

The faster the SCLK time the faster the conversion time. 

Shorter conversion times mean the proportion of the time the 

device is in low power mode compared to normal mode increases 

and therefore significant power savings can be made. 

The power for a complete system is therefore the sum of 

each load capacitance by its switching frequency multiplied by 

the drive voltage. 

Where: 

P L 

= Power to charge capacitive load 

C L 

= Capacitive load 

V DRIVE 

= Drive voltage 

f = Frequency of change 

As the A/D converter drives the SDO pin and the host microcontroller 

drives the /CS, /CONVST and SCLK the lowest power 

consumption in both devices will be achieved by having a low 

pin capacitance in each device. 

For the /CS and /CONVST pins the switching frequency is 

determined solely by the throughput rate. The SCLK frequency 

as already discussed should be set to the maximum allowable 

frequency to reduce power. This is not a contradiction as the 

important point is that the SCLK should not be free running 

and should only be active for the minimum possible time to 

“In less than 5 days from running the tool, 

we improved the performance of our 

graphic rendering engine by 3x!” 

- Terry West, Serious Integrated, Inc. 

Where: 

t conv 

= Time spent converting 

N = Number of SCLK cycles to complete conversion 

f SCLK 

= SCLK Frequency (Hz) 

Assuming 16 SCLK cycles to complete a conversion and result 

read, a system sampling at 100 kSPS with a 30 MHz SCLK 

will spend 5.33% of the time converting (53.3 ms per second). 

The same system operating with a 10 MHz SCLK will spend 

160 ms converting. Therefore to achieve the optimum power 

consumption the converter should be operated at the highest 

allowable SCLK frequency. 

An important parameter when designing for low power that 

can often be overlooked is the capacitive load seen at the 

outputs pins. The pins most affected are the communication 

interface pins, such as the SCLK, /CS and SDO, as these I/O 

are constantly changing state during the conversion process. 

The capacitive load seen at an output is the pin capacitance of 

the driver IC itself, the pin capacitance of the input pin plus the 

PCB trace capacitance. 

The trace capacitance should generally be small, in the 

femtofarad range, and is not significant. The power required to 

charge a capacitive load is a function of the load, the drive voltage 

and the frequency of change and is defined by the following 

equation. 

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Fig. 2: Typical interface power consumption 

vs. capacitive load. 

propagate the result on the SDO line per sample and to control 

the conversion process. This is device and resolution dependant 

but 16 SCLK cycles per sample would be typical for SPI 

interfaces. The frequency for the SCLK is therefore the number 

of cycles required multiplied by the throughput rate. 

The frequency of the SDO line is dependent not only on the 

throughput rate but also the conversion result itself. While this is 

not controllable it should be understood how it can affect power 

consumption. The highest power consumption will be when the 

result is a 101010… sequence. The lowest power consumption 

will therefore be when the result is all 1’s or all 0’s. 

What is also apparent is that a lower throughput rate but 

also a lower Vdrive voltage will also reduce power consumption 

considerably. A/D converters have either a single supply pin or 

separate supplies for the analogue circuitry and digital interface 

circuitry. A separate Vdrive supply gives more design flexibility 

and avoids the need for level shifters as the A/D interface voltage 

can be matched to that of the SPI master. Choosing the 

lowest voltage available for Vdrive will correspond to the lowest 

system power consumption. 

Figure 2 compares the typical power requirement of a standard 

SPI interface with /CS, SDO and SCLK for varying capacitive 

loads for a VDRIVE of 3V and 1.8V, a throughput rate of 100 

kSPS, 16 SCLK cycles per conversion and a worst case SDO 

output of 1010… for a 12-bit A/D converter. 

Other typical components of an A/D converter design are a 

voltage reference and an operational amplifier. It goes without 

saying that these components should also be chosen carefully 

for low power. References are also available with power down 

modes to reduce consumption during periods of inactivity. The 

choice of amplifier is application dependant but the system 

throughput rate should be considered when selecting a device 

to ensure the best performance of the A/D converter is achieved 

and power is optimised. 

The ultra-low power A/D converter, AD7091R has been specifically 

designed with low power designs in mind. It features a 

12-bit A/D converter, SPI interface, on-chip precision 2.5V voltage 

reference and achieves a sampling rate of 1 MSPS. 

Conversions are initiated via a pin and an on-chip oscillator 

controls the conversion process ensuring optimum power consumption. 

The pin capacitance is extremely low at 5pF maximum. 

A wide input voltage range of 2.7 V to 5.25 V allow for 

integration into a range of applications not just battery powered. 

A separate Vdrive supply of 1.65 V to 5.25 V allows for maximum 

system integration capabilities and reduced power. 

The AD7091R draws 349 μA typical at 3V Vdd when operating 

at 1-MSPS. As is typical with A/D converters the AD7091R 

power scales with throughput so currents of 55 μA are achievable 

at 100 kSPS and 4.3uA when sampling at 10 SPS. Static 

current, when not converting but the reference is active, is 

21.6 µA and in power down mode it draws only 264 nA. The 

AD7091R is available in a 10-lead MSOP or 10-lead LFCSP 

packages. 

Typical amplifiers to drive the AD7091R would be the AD8031 

for fast throughput applications and the AD8420 for lower bandwidth 

applications. The quiescent current consumption of the 

AD8031 is 750 μA typical with a 2.7 V supply. The AD8420 has a 

quiescent current consumption of 70 μA typical when used with 

a 5 V supply. 

Figure 3 shows typical current consumption and typical 

battery life calculation for the AD7091R when supplied via a 

CR2032 lithium battery. It can be clearly seen that as throughput 

decreases battery life can be greatly extended. 

Comparing the AD7091R to other A/D converters on the market 

significant savings can be achieved in the power budget. 

When compared against the nearest available competition, a 

part with no internal reference, for a 1 MSPS throughput rate 

the AD7091R achieves better than a 3x reduction in power 

consumption. Or 1 mW typical compared to 3.9 mW typical 

for a 3 V supply. This equates to extending the battery life of a 

CR2032 battery by 400 hrs. When the need for an external voltage 

reference is included for the competitive device the savings 

are further increased. 

There are many benefits of a reduction in power consumption 

other than increased battery life. Less heat is generated 

which leads to smaller form factors. Reliability improves due to 

the lower temperature stress. System costs can be lowered as 

PCB size can be reduced due to the smaller components and 

a reduction in components as there is no need for components 

such as heatsinks. As outlined in this article, there are a several 

considerations that the system designer should take into 

account in order to optimise the power consumption of their 

designs. 

Fig. 3: Battery life vs. throughput for AD7091R. 


HDMI video and audio capture card for 

multimedia device testing and medical imaging 

Adlink Technology’s lateste Full HD HDMI video and audio 

capture card enables the acquisition of full analog/digital video 

and digital audio input all in one card. Featuring uncompressed 

full HD up to 1080p at 60 fps,10-bit high-resolution ADC, and 

HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) support, 

the HDV62A delivers serious benefits and reduced total cost 

of ownership for applications requiring simultaneous capture 

from both video and audio signals, such as multimedia device 

testing and medical imaging. The HDV62A not only delivers uncompressed 

high-definition video 

data from DVI or HDMI, but also 

provides an analog video decoder 

comprehensively supporting RGB, 

NTSC/PAL, S-video and YPbPr, 

with an integrated audio decoder 

for HDMI and S/PDIF capture. In 

addition, the HDV62A is compatible 

with HDCP, securing critical user data during transmission. 

Adlink Technology 

www.adlinktech.com 

Embedded measurements 

and logging system 

National Instruments has expanded 

its CompactDAQ platform with a 

stand-alone data acquisition system 

compatible with over 50 sensorspecific 

I/O modules for flexible, 

mixed-measurement data logging. 

The system includes a built-in dualcore 

Intel processor and onboard 

storage to deliver high-performance 

processing in a single, portable 

system. It uses LabVIEW system 

design software so that engineers 

can customise a data-logging or 

embedded monitoring solution. The 

CompactDAQ system features an 

Intel Core i7 dual-core processor, 

2 GB RAM and 32 GB nonvolatile 

storage to run high-performance, 

mixed-measurement tests while 

logging data directly to the system, 

removing the need for an external 

PC. It is compatible with LabVIEW 

2012 and uses an 8-slot chassis with 

more than 50 C Series I/O module 

options to miix and match a variety 

of I/O and sensor types, including AI, 

AO, DIO and CAN to create custom 

measurement and logging systems. 

USB, Ethernet and serial ports allow 

the system to connect to other CompactDAQ 

devices, including the new 

NI cDAQ-9184 Ethernet chassis, to 

expand the number of module slots 

for large-channel-count applications 

or integrate other devices, such as 

a camera or GPS device. It can also 

stream data to disk at up to 30 MB/s, 

simultaneously streaming continuous 

measurements with sample rates up 

to 1 MS/s/ch. 

National Instruments 

www.ni.com 

e 

e 

e e e 

the future needs drive. 

it is generated here. 

smart energy solutions. 

e 

e 

e 

e e 

e 

Tickets & Registration: www.electronica.de/en/2012 

e 

e 

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e 

e 

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e 

25th International Trade Fair 

for Electronic Components, 

Systems and Applications 

Messe München 

November 13–16, 2012 

www.electronica.de 

ele12windk-125x200-EETimesEuro-S_E.indd 1 04.07.12 10:59 




Single-board data logger adds 17 I/O channels 

to Raspberry Pi card 

Pico Technology’s DrDAQ compact single-board data logger 

adds 17 I/O channels to Raspberry Pi cards, giving users’ Linux 

application access to a 100 kHz oscilloscope, arbitrary waveform 

generator and 4 digital I/Os (2 

with pulse-counting input and PWM 

output). The unit also includes a 24-bit 

RGB LED, a built-in light sensor, a 

temperature sensor, a microphone 

and sound level sensor, a resistance 

measuring input and pH/redox sensor 

input. There are also 3 inputs for Pico’s own sensors or for 

custom devices that you users can build themselves. DrDAQ 

requires just a single USB connection for power and data. 

When connected to the Raspberry Pi single-board computer, 

DrDAQ forms a powerful data logging system that can be 

integrated into your custom Linux application. Pico Technology 

has released a Debian driver and C++ example code for free 

download. The example code displays a simple text menu that 

allows you to capture data, control the digital I/O pins, set up 

the signal generator and drive the LED. 

Pico Technology 

www.picotech.com 

MEMS motion sensors combine low-power, 

motion accuracy and low noise 

Freescale Semiconductor has introduced two new high-performance, 

low-power three-axis accelerometers in a 2x2mm 

package. The pin-compatible Xtrinsic MMA8652FC 12-bit 

and MMA8653FC 10-bit accelerometers 

provide low noise and advanced 

motion accuracy for power- and spaceconstrained 

mobile devices. With a 56 

percent reduction in volume compared 

to previous generations, Freescale is 

expanding its 3-axis accelerometer 

family with these new devices that are ideal for applications 

requiring compact size and low power consumption. 

Freescale’s Xtrinsic MMA8652FC and MMA8653FC microelectromechanical 

system (MEMS) based accelerometers 

support a range of features such as gesture detection, image 

stability, tap to control, anti-theft, and tumble and freefall 

detection. The MMA865xFC accelerometers, combined 

with Freescale’s sensor toolbox development tools, enable 

simpler, more efficient design cycles, decreasing developers’ 

time-to-market and lowering costs. Together with the host 

processor, Freescale’s MMA865xFC embedded accelerometers 

help make decisions about contextual environmental 

sensing and enable the ability to record highly precise 

movement for a wide range of devices, from smartphones 

to remote controls to health and activity monitoring equipment. 

The MMA865xFC accelerometers deliver advanced 

sensitivity of 1 mg per LSB and feature six user configurable 

sample rates that can be set over a wide range (from 1.5 to 

800 samples per second). The accelerometers incorporate 

Freescale’s MEMS transducer for improved space efficiency 

and an on-chip FIFO (first-in/first-out) memory buffer that 

allows for smarter system power management. 

Freescale Semiconductor 

www.freescale.com 

26-GHz solder-in head enables more durable 

oscilloscope probing 

Agilent Technologies introduced economical semipermanent 

solder-in probing solutions for its InfiniiMax III oscilloscope 

probing system. The N2838A 25-GHz ZIF (zero insertion 

force) tips come with plastic 

sporks to aid in soldering 

the tips to the device 

under test. The tip uses a 

PC board substrate, making 

it a highly durable and convenient probing solution. The 

N2836A InfiniiMax III 26-GHz solder-in head is an economical 

semipermanent connection that provides up to 26 GHz 

of system bandwidth. The ZIF tip and solder-in head come 

pre-attached with a pair of damping resistors for eliminating 

the distortion and loading that affect probes with in-band 

resonances. They are user replaceable, so an engineer with 

a damaged resistor tip can simply solder a new damping 

resistor to the tip and quickly resume work. InfiniiMax III differential 

active probes offer up to 30 GHz of high-bandwidth 

performance for measuring differential signals, with superior 

signal integrity and flexible connectivity solutions for today’s 

high-density integrated circuits and circuit boards. These 

probes are compatible with Agilent’s Infiniium 90000 X- and 

Q-Series oscilloscopes. 

Agilent Technologies 

www.agilent.com 

“World of Sensors Board” supports seven 

different sensors 

Zilog has launched a “World of Sensors” development board 

with seven separate sensors. The “WoS” Design Board includes 

an accelerometer, an ambient light sensor, a humidity sensor, a 

microphone, a pressure sensor, 

a proximity sensor, and 

a temperature sensor and is 

aimed at developing products 

that may require several 

types of sensing solutions 

within the same design. The development platform uses Zilog’s 

series of Mini-Z stamp modules and provides customers with 

a simple-to-use platform to develop prototypes and projects 

incorporating multiple sensors. The “WoS” Design Board ships 

complete with a serial LCD display and USB serial communication 

- serial cables are not required. Offering multiple types of 

built-in wireless support and engineered to capitalize on the 

advanced functionality of Zilog’s series of Mini-Z modules, 

the Board showcases the interaction of these sensors – independent 

of the module being used – and enables even more 

creative projects by simply swapping out modules. The new 

“WoS” Board is designed to work best with Zilog’s series of 

Mini-Z modules.“Zilog, as a part of IXYS, maintains a continuing 

commitment to supporting our customers with devices that 

have long product life cycles, especially in power management, 

where IXYS has been growing worldwide. With the growth of 

digital power management in energy-efficient products, these 

Mini-Z platforms and Reference Designs helps designers accelerate 

the adoption of Zilog’s MCU solutions. 

Zilog 

www.zilog.com 


Harsh environment closed loop servo 

inclinometers/accelerometers 

The Sensorex SX41200 and SX41400 series from Meggitt 

Sensing System are two families of rugged, gravity referenced 

closed-loop servo inclinometers/accelerometers designed for 

use in harsh environments. 

Available in 12 individual 

models per series, with 

angular measurement ranges 

from ±3° to ±90°, and choices 

of single axis (SX41200) 

and twin axis (SX41400) versions, their highly rugged design 

incorporates a galvanometric pendulum sensing element with 

hydromechanical damping, combined with an optical position 

sensor, with 4-20 mA or ±5 VDC (±5%) output, proportional to 

sine of the angle of tilt. Inertial sensing elements are contained 

within rugged, watertight IP65 sealed aluminum housings. 

They are powered by a single, unregulated voltage supply and 

feature a bidirectional output. Additional options, available 

upon customer request, include a ±0.02% non-linearity error 

specification (excluding ±90° range), special bandwidth, zero 

offset (unipolar output) and special range and output signals. 

All Sensorex SX41200 and SX41400 series models conform to 

both European EMC and railway testing standards. 

Meggitt Sensing Systems 

www.meggittsensingsystems.com 

Powerline and wireless communications 

SoCs for smart energy management 

Greenvity Communications has developed the first hybrid 

system-on-chip (SoC) family that integrates powerline communication 

(PLC) and wireless capabilities on a single chip. 

The Greenvity Hybrii chip family 

supports both the HomePlug 

Green PHY PLC and ZigBee 

worldwide standards simultaneously 

to enable robust 

and intelligent connectivity 

for a variety of home and building energy management and 

electric vehicle applications. The first family members include 

the Hybrii-XL chip for smart grid, smart energy management, 

industrial and consumer applications, and the Hybrii-PLC 

device for rugged, high temperature conditions. Hybrii-XL 

enalbes smart grid products that integrate both PLC and 

ZigBee communication capabilities. The Hybrii chip automatically 

chooses the best medium to transmit energy-related 

data—wirelessly or via existing power lines—and extends the 

range to cover an entire home or building. If wireless nodes 

are noisy due to interference then PLC will be enabled and 

vice versa, ensuring reliable communication. The Hybrii-XL 

(GV7011) integrates HomePlug Green PHY PLC and ZigBee 

wireless functions for low cost and low power consumption. 

Both HomePlug Green PHY PLC and ZigBee can operate simultaneously. 

The GV7011 offers high performance with data 

rate up to 9.8 Mbps in PLC mode and 250 Kbps in wireless 

mode. The Hybrii-PLC chip (GV7012) was designed to support 

electric vehicle and electric vehicle supply equipment 

(EVSE) or battery chargers. It can support up to 9.8 Mbps of 

data rate over power line. 

Greenvity Communications 

www.greenvity.com 

High accuracy temperature sensor enables 

adjustable alerts 

Linear Technology Corporation has introduced the LTC2996 

high accuracy temperature sensor for 2.25 V to 5.5 V systems. 

The LTC2996 measures a remote diode’s temperature 

with ±1°C accuracy and its own die 

temperature with ±2°C accuracy 

while rejecting errors due to noise 

and series resistance. The device 

provides a voltage-proportional-toabsolute-temperature 

(V PTAT 

) output, 

as well as individual undertemperature and overtemperature 

alert outputs, defined by user-adjustable thresholds. No code 

is required to configure the device. With a 200 µA quiescent 

current, the chip simply provides a precise, space-saving, 

micropower temperature monitoring solution. Its accuracy, 

configurability and code-free operation caters to a wide 

variety of applications, including system thermal control, energy 

harvesting, desktop and notebook computers, network 

servers and environmental monitoring. Users can choose to 

measure internal or remote temperature and easily adjust the 

temperature thresholds with resistive dividers. Temperature 

conversions are updated every 3.5 ms to provide systems 

with sufficient time to react to alerts. 

Linear Technology Corporation 

www.linear.com 

contact@absopulse.ch 

www.absopulse.ch 

High-Performance, high reliable Power Supplies 

15 W to 12 kW+ adapted to your challenging projects 

• AC/DC Power Supplies 

• Rectifiers and Battery Chargers 

• DC/DC Converters 

• Sine-Wave Inverters 

• Phase and Frequency Converters 

• AC- Input, DC-output UPS systems 

• Open Frame 

• Wall mount 

• 19” Cassettes 

• DC-input dimmable back-light inverters 

for LCD displays 

• Complete Power Systems in 19" and 23" Racks 

ABSOPULSE Marketing Europe GmbH 

PoBox 1501 

8620 Wetzikon CH 

Tel. +41 78 896 50 49 

Fax +41 44 944 38 44 

Write us: contact@absopulse.ch 

See us: www.absopulse.ch 



3D development tool aids embedded vision 

National Instruments has added 3D vision capabilities in Lab- 

VIEW to make machine vision applications more accurate. The 

Vision Development Module 2012 allows engineers to develop 

a 3D stereo vision system using 

any two cameras and can 

perform advanced inspection 

and control that uses depth 

information from 3D vision 

technology. They can also 

use LabVIEW with third-party 

hardware and software tools 

for 3D vision and combine 3D 

images with other algorithms, 

such as pattern matching or 

object tracking, to profile stationary 

or moving objects. The module includes high-precision 

3D image acquisition using new stereo vision and calibration 

algorithms as well as compatibility with third-party 3D cameras 

that use laser triangulation technology. Integration of additional 

3D processing and analysis libraries, such as the AQSENSE 

SAL3D library, in the same graphical programming environment 

simplifies the development of machine vision applications from 

optical character recognition on pharmaceutical packaging to 

examining solar panels for cracks. 

National Instruments 

www.ni.com 

Smart meter RF coupler provides 10kV 

electrical isolation 

The RF Savvy Series, patent pending, Nona-band radio 

frequency (RF) coupler from Alpha Micro Wireless offers 

10kV of electrical isolation to enable safe routing of the RF 

signal from the 

network interface 

card (NIC) 

or wireless 

modem to a 

remote external 

antenna via a 

bulk head RF 

connection in 

the meter base. 

Unlike other 

inefficient RF coupling schemes and isolator solutions on the 

market, the RF Savvy series Nona-band RF Coupler offers 

an ultra-low loss (less than 0.5dB at 915MHz), extremely 

high electrical isolation and operates universally over nine 

frequency bands. RF input and output terminations are via 

gold plated 50 Ohm MMCX jack connectors for rugged and 

easy installation. The RF Coupler has been designed with 

a low profile (1.0mm) generic form factor suitable for use 

within the enclosure of most residential and commercial/ 

industrial electric utility meters. The device can be retro-fitted 

to most utility meters or tailored for a custom fit to specific 

OEM applications. Automated metering infrastructure (AMI) 

wireless system integrators and utility meter manufacturers 

can choose to retro-fit a generic, 45x45x1mm version of this 

low-profile coupler into their SMART metering applications. 

Apha Micro Wireless 

www.alphamicrowireless.com 

Underfill formula reduces stress and controls 

warpage for next-generation flip chip devices 

Addressing the challenges associated with ever-thinner flip 

chip die, Henkel has developed a high-performance underfill: 

Loctite Eccobond UF 8840 that reduces package stress 

through controlling 

die and substrate 

warpage. Because 

the substrate and flip 

chip die have different 

coefficient of thermal 

expansion (CTE) 

characteristics, thermal 

processing (secondary 

reflow) can lead 

to either upward (“smiling”) or downward (“crying”) package 

warpage which may ultimately result in poor reliability. Loctite 

Eccobond UF 8840 offers compatibility with a wide variety of 

flux systems, has minimum resin bleed out, delivers maximum 

process adaptability through compatibility with both 

traditional needle dispensing and non-contact dispensing 

and has a wide dispense process window for manufacturing 

flexibility. The formula flows consistently with no voids on flip 

chip die up to 15x15mm. Testing in an applications laboratory 

environment shows reduced warpage – less than 80 µm 

on a 20x20mm flip chip die with a thickness of 730 µ m – and 

compatibility with a variety of die passivations. 

Henkel AG & Co. KgaA 

www.henkel.com/electronics 

Connection system targets Class I, Division 2 

and Zone 2 hazardous locations 

Molex introduced the Brad Ultra-Lock (M12) EX Connection 

System, providing process automation installers a safe, quick 

connection interface for instrumentation and control devices in 

potentially explosive and 

hazardous areas. As with 

other Brad Ultra-Lock 

connectors, the Ultra- 

Lock (M12) EX features 

patented push-to-lock 

technology, providing 

a simple and secure 

operator-independent 

connection. In addition, 

the system includes an integral isolating ring that limits access 

to the release mechanism of the connector, allowing the connector 

to be pushed on but requiring a screwdriver to disconnect. 

Because the connection point is considered non-arcing it 

is suitable for use in a Class I, Division 2 and Zone 2 classified 

areas. The Ultra-Lock (M12) EX includes pre-wired moulded 

connections with polarised positioning on the cordset, providing 

more reliable performance in high vibration applications and 

reduced wiring termination errors. The radial seal offers IP67 / 

IP68 / IP69K watertight connections for temporary submersion 

making the connectors ideal for environments such as oil refineries, 

petrochemical complexes, waste water processing plants, 

pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities and food and beverage 

processing plants. 

Molex 

www.molex.com 


PCIe Gen3 Flash controller for standard NVMe SSD solutions 

Integrated Device Technology announced what it claims to be the industry’s first 

NVM Express (NVMe) enterprise flash memory controller with native support 

for PCIe Gen 3. The devices provide a standards-based solid-state drive (SSD) 

solution, enabling storage and server OEMs to overcome latency and throughput 

bottlenecks inherent to legacy SAS/SATA-based SSD designs. IDT’s new flash 

memory controller family consists of two versions: 16-channel with PCIe x4 Gen 

3 (89HF16P04AG3) and 32-channel with PCIe x8 Gen 3 (89HF32P08AG3). The 

flash controllers are designed to fully comply with the NVMe standard – a standard 

that defines an optimized register interface, command set, and feature set 

for PCIe SSDs. This eliminates the need for OEMs to qualify multiple SSD drivers, 

facilitating the widespread use of PCIe SSDs and helping bring to market dramatic 

improvements in storage latency, throughput, power consumption and cost.The 

flash controllers are fully programmable, enabling customers to differentiate their 

solutions with custom firmware that leverages IDT’s reference firmware. The flash 

controllers also support enterprise-class features, including advanced encryption, 

data integrity and reliability features. 

Integrated Device Technology 

www.nvmexpress.org 

Waterproof Push-pull connectors reduce connection time 

by a factor of 10 

Bulgin has unveiled a new addition to the company’s rugged Buccaneer range of connectors, 

giving engineers and product design professionals even greater flexibility in 

systems design. The all new Buccaneer 6000 Series of waterproof power, signal and 

data connectors features an easy to use, patent pending push pull 

locking system, that connects up to 10 times faster than a traditional 

screw thread mechanism. The new addition to the Buccaneer 

range is designed to withstand the harshest environments and 

meets IP66, IP68 and IP69K standards. The Buccaneer 6000 Series 

includes data (USB or Ethernet), signal and power versions up to 

16 A, 277 V, and complements the popular screw thread Buccaneer 

range. Available in fully interchangeable metal and plastic constructions, 

the body mouldings and pin carriers have been specifically 

designed to create a robust interface while avoiding damage during coupling. This 

guarantees a correctly sealed connection – even where access is restricted. 

Bulgin 

ww.bulgin.co.uk 

Virtex-7 FPGA-based XMC card 

with PCI Express Gen2 interface 

Alpha Data has launched the ADM-XRC-7V1, a high performance reconfigurable 

XMC with PCI Express Gen2 interface, external memory and flexible front-panel 

IO options. Based on Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGAs, the 7V1 combines performance with 

ease-of-use and reliability. Particular emphasis has 

been placed on ease-of-migration from earlier generations 

of FPGA, allowing customers to benefit from the 

features of the Virtex device with minimal effort. The 

PCI Express bridge includes 4 DMA channels and is 

contained in a separate device, freeing the logic in 

the FPGA and allowing on-the-fly reconfiguration. For 

maximum flexibility, a bypass option allows users to place the PCI Express endpoint 

directly in the FPGA. Front panel IO is provided through the XRM interface. 

Alpha Data provides a wide range of XRM modules giving options including optical 

IO, CameraLink, high performance DACs and ADCs. The 7V1 is available with the 

Virtex-7 XC7V585T, XC7VX330T, XC7VX485T or XC7VX690T FPGA and ships with 

a comprehensive software development kit including example designs. 

Alpha Data 

www.alpha-data.com 



Wireless operator interface pushbutton 

controller eases large plant operation 

Honeywell has released its Limitless wireless operator interface, 

dubbed the WOI Series, providing a packaged pushbutton 

controller for manufacturers and OEMs. 

With both momentary and maintained 

contact options, the Limitless Series now 

offers wireless control from both person 

and position. The WOI Series is a controller 

designed to wirelessly turn on and off 

equipment (pumps, motors, drives, conveyors, 

and other industrial equipment), 

open or close gates/doors, or provide notification to remote 

locations. It can be used in rugged industrial environments to 

notify appropriate departments when there are quality, machine, 

material out-of-stock, or other manufacturing issues. Designed 

for flexibility, the user can choose and install a desired operator 

(22mm rotary switch, key switch) or rely on one of Honeywell’s 

pushbuttons. It communicates through Limitless receivers that 

provide PLC inputs or relay outputs connected directly to equipment 

to turn on LEDs or start/stop industrial equipment. The 

Limitless wireless network includes the WDRR Din-rail receiver, 

WPMM monitor, WLS heavy-duty limit switch, and WGLA 

global limit switch. The entire Limitless solution uses the global, 

license-free RF wireless 802.15.4 WPAN protocol that provides 

up to a 305m line-of-sight communication range, and prolongs 

battery life with advanced power management technology. 

Honeywell 

www.honeywell.com 

3-phase burst pulse coupling/decoupling 

network for fast transient testing 

The 200 A 3-phase burst pulse coupling/decoupling network 

(CDN) from Teseq has been specifically designed testing 

electrical fast transients (EFT) and high power bursts in large 

in large machines, appliances and 

smart grid applications. The CDN 

3083-B200 easily handles high 

inrush currents and pulse-shaped 

peak currents, it can also inject 

fast burst pulses, up to 8 kV (5/50 

ns – 50 Ohm), into the supply lines 

of the equipment under test (EUT). 

It is designed to be used with an EUT supply up to 690 VAC, 

either line-to-line or line-to-ground, or up to 1,000 VDC, 

line-to-line or line-to-ground. Compliant with IEC 61000-4-4, 

the CDN 3083-B200 measures 430x310x190mm and weighs 

11kg. It is especially convenient for off-site testing as well 

as allowing for more set-up options in standard compliance 

applications, where the distance between the CDN and EUT 

is short and the use of combined CDNs cannot meet the 

requirements set by testing standards. To prevent damage 

to internal components, the CDN 3083-B200 features a large 

overstress capability and a built-in thermometer that monitors 

temperature to avoid overload. Although designed for 

continuous performance up to 200 A per phase, the unit can 

withstand higher currents for shorter durations. The CDN 

3083-B200 features screw terminals rated for 200A, a maximum 

burst voltage of 8,000V and earth terminal grounding. 

Teseq 

www.teseq.com 

Reference board for optimising power of 

i.MX6 dual and quad processors 

Dialog Semiconductor and NovTech have co-developed a 

reference design for its single-chip system power management 

IC (PMIC) to optimise the power requirements of all 35 

voltage rails used with 

Freescale’s multicore 

i.MX 6 series applications 

processors. The NOVPEK 

i.MX6Q/D i.MX 6 Platform 

Evaluation Kit enables 

OEMs to more rapidly 

bring to market precisioncontrolled, 

high-end systems based on i.MX 6 series processors. 

By using Dialog’s configurable PMIC, the reference 

board delivers multiple settings for each peripheral voltage 

rail, programmable control for multiple power-on events and 

an accurate power consumption analysis framework to cut 

the power consumption of any i.MX 6 series application. The 

Dialog device powers the i.MX 6 series system-on-chip and 

system peripherals - including external memories, WLAN, 

Bluetooth, GPS, FM receivers and modems - on a very small 

(< 200mm 2 ) active PCB area with just a 1mm external component 

height, including all inductors, enabling the creation 

of thinner mobile products with longer battery life. For greater 

performance and enhanced multimedia capability, the Dialog 

PMIC delivers over 14A total power capability to the Freescale 

i.MX 6 series system including CPU, memories and 

other peripherals on the reference board. It supports multiple 

voltage settings for each of the 35 peripheral voltage rails 

on the devices to provide an accurate power consumption 

analysis framework. In addition, the chip provides flexibility 

and configurability to precisely control the start-up sequences, 

output voltages and DVC ramps. With the PMIC’s wide 

supply range of 2.7 to 5.5V, the reference board is able to use 

a single cell lithium battery as well as 5V power supply. 

Dialog Semiconductor 

www. novtech.com 

DC link film capacitors rated from 550 to 1200V 

for power supply and inverter applications 

AVX Corporation’s FB Series of polypropylene dielectric DC link 

film capacitors consists of 2-leaded capacitors in a voltage rating 

of 550-1200V with a capacitance range from 0.68 to 75µF. 

The units are RoHS compliant, 

and come in 14 case sizes containing 

over 100 new ratings, 

with three standard lead pitch 

options: 27.5mm, 37.5mm, and 

52.5mm. Suitable applications 

such as DC power supplies 

and inverters for solar power, 

electric drive, and industrial 

power systems, the capacitors 

combine low loss film technology 

with the self-healing 

properties of the dielectric to ensure long lifetimes and low 

thermal losses. The capacitors operated in the -40°C to +100°C 

temperature range. 

AVX Corporation 

www.avx.com 


Rear-mounted, panel-flush light pipes available 

in 10 standard lengths 

VCC Optoelectronics has developed a series of low profile, panel-flush light pipes 

that are designed to blend in with the panel until they are illuminated and facilitate 

easy panel removal. Designated the LPCM Series, the light pipes are made of clear, 

optical grade acrylic for maximum light transmission, and will 

mate to any PCB using SMD 4. VCC’s new RoHS-compliant 

light pipes are available in 10 standard lengths spanning 0.3 

inches to 1.2 inches; custom lengths are available upon request. 

VCC Optoelectronics 

www.vcclite.com 

Seven-channel relay driver reduces board space by 80 percent 

for telecommunications applications 

Texas Instruments Incorporated has introduced what the company claims is the industry’s 

first fully-integrated, seven-channel relay driver that can support low-voltage 

relays from as low as 1.8 V up to 5 V. The ULN2003LV relay driver replaces a handful 

of discrete components with a single device to drive 

lower voltages for data relays and rails within telecommunications 

equipment. Using the ULN2003LV integrated 

circuit (IC), customers can reduce board space by up 

to 80 percent, while lowering power consumption and 

cost. The ULN2003LV offers high performance in noisy 

environments. The input resistor capacitor (RC) snubber 

improves the driver performance in noisy operating conditions.The device enables 

channel grouping for higher current loads. An internal input pull-down resistor allows 

input logic to be tri-stated for greater efficiency at higher loads. Seven low-output impedance 

drivers minimize on-chip power dissipation, providing five times lower power 

consumption versus the competition. The relay’s 1.8-V to 5-V CMOS logic input interface 

is compatible with a wider range of microcontrollers and other logic interfaces 

compared to the competition. 

Texas Instruments 

www.ti.com 

Pre-cut dicing and electrically conductive die 

attach film all-in-one 

With Loctite Ablestik CDF 200P, Henkel introduces a precut combination of dicing 

film and conductive die attach film for 6” or 8” wafers. The Loctite Ablestik C100 

in 2010 enables leadframe device manufacturers to take advantage of a die attach 

film which includes consistent, uniform bondlines, 

eliminating die tilt while incorporating ultra-thin wafers. In 

addition, because films eliminate the fillet associated with 

paste-based materials, they allow more die per package 

due to tighter die to pad clearance. Now, leadframe semiconductor 

specialists have the option to use Henkel’s roll format Loctite Ablestik 

C100 or its new pre-cut, two-in-one (dicing tape and die attach film combination) 

Loctite Ablestik CDF 200P conductive die attach films, thereby enabling package 

design scalability not possible with conventional die attach materials. Compatible 

with lamination equipment commonly used in the field, the new dicing film requires 

no capital equipment investment. With a lamination temperature of 65 degrees Celsius, 

the novel material complies with most existing equipment and processes for 

both lamination and backgrinding. Additionally, its unique two-in-one dicing tape 

and die attach film combination streamlines manufacturing by facilitating an in-line 

process for thin wafers and a single lamination process in one, combined step. The 

product is proven effective on a wide range of die sizes from 0.2x0.2mm to 5.0x 

5.0mm, a variety of wafer metallizations including bare silicon, TiNiAg and Au, and 

multiple leadframe metallizations such as Cu, Ag and Au. 

Henkel AG 

www.henkel.com 



Ultra-low IR Schottky barrier diodes prevent 

thermal runaway at high temperatures 

The RBxx8 series of ultra-low reverse current Schottky barrier 

diodes from Rohm Semiconductor are capable of operating 

at high temperatures for use in automotive and power supply 

devices. Power consumption 

is said to be reduced by approximately 

40% compared 

to conventional automotive 

rectifier diodes, making these 

devices suitable for energysaving 

circuits in electric 

vehicles (EVs) and hybrid 

electric vehicles (HEVs). 

Rectifier and fast recovery 

diodes (FRDs) are commonly used in circuits for automotive 

and power supplies exposed to high temperature environments 

due their strength against thermal runaway. However, they often 

feature high VF, making it difficult to reduce power consumption 

to the levels required for EVs and HEVs. As a result, there 

has been an increasing demand for low- VF (Forward Voltage) 

Schottky barrier diodes that can support operation at high temperatures. 

Rohm has used high temperature-resistant metals to 

achieve what the company believes to be the industry’s lowest 

reverse current – approximately 100 times smaller than that of 

conventional SBDs, ensuring compatibility with high temperature 

environments. 

ROHM Semiconductor 

www.rohm.com/eu 

Micro disc piezoelectric gas pump delivers in 

excess of 600 mbar, silently 

Cambridge-based TTP has invented a miniature gas pump 

that replaces traditional mechanical operation with ultrasonic 

pressure generation technology and runs silently. The 

patented micro Disc Pump 

has already been commercialised 

in a wound 

therapy application and is 

well suited to other portable 

medical applications such 

as blood pressure measurement, 

as well as micro-fluidic and industrial applications 

where size, noise and controllability are important design 

factors. The device uses a piezoelectric actuator to drive 

pressure oscillations in a thin disc shaped cavity: one current 

model measures just 4mm in thickness. Silent operation 

is achieved by running the pump at frequencies above the 

limit of hearing, using special custom, high-speed valves to 

rectify the pressure oscillations. The combination of pressure 

generation technology and high frequency operation make 

it possible to deliver pneumatic performance significantly 

higher than traditional pumps of comparable size, claims the 

manufacturer. With a wide dynamic range, the TTP technology 

has already achieved stall pressures in excess of 600 

mbar and flow rates of more than 2,500 cc/mn. The highfrequency 

piezoelectric mechanism provides virtually ripplefree 

output compared to the pulsed output that characterises 

most conventional pumps. 

TTP Group 

www.ttp.com 

Five Wi-Fi radio transceiver 

development kits to win 

The RTX4100 Wi-Fi module from RTX is 

a single stream, 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi module with on-board 

low power application processor. This month, RTX is giving 

away 5 RTX4100 Wi-Fi development kits worth USD 399 

each for EETimes Europe’s readers to win. Designed for the 

easy application development of a wide range of machineto-machine 

applications, 

the 30x18x2.4mm radio 

module features two 

push buttons and a dual 

colour LED (red/green) 

for the application user 

interface. External sensor 

solder-points enable 

users to connect digital 

or analogue sensors. The RTX4100 module also integrates 

a 3-axis accelerometer and compass and a 28-pin expansion/debug 

connector. It draws as little as 4uA in low energy 

mode. The RTX4100 DVK (development kit) offers a comprehensive 

way of evaluating the performance and features 

of this Wi-Fi module as well as developing custom code. It 

includes an evaluation kit (EVK) with ready to use hardware 

and software, including the RTX4100 Wi-Fi module mounted 

on a small carrier board with integrated sensors. The package 

comes complete with a USB-UART cable with adaptor, 

a 3-cell battery holder and AAA batteries, a docking station 

for the Wi-Fi module, the source code of various demo applications 

and documentation. 

Check the reader offer online at 


Reader 

Offer 

6-bit serial-controlled digital step attenuators 

offer high accuracy in 0.5dB steps 

RFMD’s new RFSA2644/2654 6-bit digital step attenuators 

(DSAs) feature high linearity over their entire 31.5dB gain control 

range with excellent step accuracy in 0.5dB steps. They are 

programmed via a serial mode 

control interface that is both 3V and 

5V compatible. They also offer a 

rugged Class 1C HBM ESD rating 

via on-chip ESD circuitry. The MCM 

package is footprint-compatible 

with most 24-pin, 4x4mm QFN 

packages. The RFSA2644 operates 

in the 50MHz to 4000MHz frequency 

range whilst the RFSA2654 

is for use in the 5MHz to 2000MHz 

range, with an attenuation range of 

31.5dB in 0.5dB steps and a step 

accuracy of +/- 0.1dB. The chips 

can be used in transceiver RF and 

IF applications including 2G, 3G, 

LTE, WiMax/WiFi and other wireless 

data terminals. 

RFMD 

www.rfmd.com 


Ultra-quiet modular power unit delivers 800W 

in 1U, 12 configurable isolated outputs 

Excelsys Technologies’ XBA, XBB and XBC modular power 

supplies provide 200W, 400W and 800W and are UL and CB 

certified to EN60950 2nd edition. The XWA, XWB and XWC 

are certified to the latest UL and 

EN60601-1 3rd edition medical 

approvals and deliver 200W, 

400W and 800W and respectively. 

With only 38.3dBA of acoustic 

noise over all load conditions, this 

new family is the quietest modular, 

configurable power supply in the market, claims the manufacturer. 

Each model comes in a compact 1U package measuring 

260x127mm and offers users up to 12 isolated outputs from 

1.5VDC to 58.0VDC. All outputs are fully user adjustable and 

may be combined in series for higher voltages or parallel for 

higher currents. Standard Xgen product features include, ultra 

high efficiency of 90%, instant custom configuration, individual 

output control, 5VDC auxiliary, universal 85-264VAC input and 

a full suite of protection features including OVP, OCP, SCP 

and OTP. The Excelsys Xgen Ultra-Quiet power supplies are 

particularly suitable for applications that are noise and vibration 

sensitive applications including, medical, laboratory, scientific, 

audio and broadcast applications. 

Excelsys Technologies 

SPS_ANZ_2012_E_210x148 

www.excelsys.com 

12.07.12 14:42 Seite 1 

Rugged fanless panel computers operate in 

the -20º to +60ºC range 

Aaeon has released two new rugged panel computers designed 

for operation in the -20º to +60ºC temperature range, 

fanless and protected to IP65. The AHP wide-temperature 

series comes in three sizes, 12.1”, 

15” and 17”, supporting panel, wall, 

desktop and VESA 100 for optimal 

display mounts. The AHP-2122 is a 

12.1” Rugged HMI touch panel computer 

with Intel Atom D525 processor 

and has two Gigabit Ethernet ports for 

Ethernet connections. Also included is one DDR3 SODIMM 

with a maximum of 4GB system memory. Moreover, AHP- 

2122 has two COM ports, four USB ports (two in front), one 

line-out and one VGA port for plenty of peripheral interfaces. 

Furthermore, this fanless panel computer supports VGA and 

DVI-D (no DVI output) for display options. The AHP-2153 is 

a 15” Rugged HMI touch panel computer and employs the 

3rd generation Intel Atom D2550 processor. It provides up 

to 4GB of DDR3 memory and uses Gigabit Ethernet for fast 

internet access. A CompactFlash slot and a 2.5” SATA HDD 

port offer abundant storage. It supports six USB ports, two 

COM ports, one Mini Card, one Line-out and one VGA port. 

AAEON Technology 

www.aaeon.com 

Electric Automation 

Systems and Components 

International Exhibition and Conference 

Nuremberg, Germany, 27 – 29 November 2012 

Answers for automation 

Experience at Europe's #1 platform for electric automation: 

• 1,400 exhibitors 

• all key players of the industry 

• products and solutions 

• innovations and trends 

Your free entry ticket 

www.mesago.com/sps/tickets 

More information at 

+49 711 61946-828 or sps@mesago.com


Integrated touch-platform targets control 

and HMI applications 

The miriac HMI1022 HMI unit from MicroSys carries Freescale 

QorIQ CPUs in combination with miriac MPX SoMs. In its current 

version it is a P1022 CPU. The units are highly integrated 

and come 

configured with 

a set of I/O 

functions fit for 

typical HMI applications. 

The 

HMI1022 offers 

RS232/485, 

USB, 2xLAN, CAN, SD-Card (intern), RFID, optionally a SATAinterface 

and/or a SPI extension can be provided. The company 

also makes available various board support packages and 

middleware tools to address market specific requirements. 

The system features a high resolution 15” 4-wire LED backlight 

touch display. It is operated by a QorIQ P1022 Dual Core CPU 

with on chip graphics at 600 MHz to 1055 MHz. The HMI1022 

offers up to 2 GB DDR2 and 512 MB NAND flash memory. 

The system operates under Linux, VxWorks, Microware OS-9, 

MicroC/OS-II or QNX. It is designed for harsh environments and 

versions for extended temperature (-30°C to +85°C) are available 

on request. 

MicroSys Electronics 

www.microsys.de 

Rugged embedded computer draws 

as little as 5W 

Based on an ARM CPU, the CEC4 expands MPL’s Compact 

Embedded Computer product range for fan-less operation in 

harsh environments. The CEC4 comes with 3 Gigabit Ethernet 

interfaces and is designed 

with a compact housing that 

offers sufficient space to add 

a SSD or SATA DOM, a 5-port 

switch (MAGBES) with copper 

only or mixed with fiber, or 

other peripherals. The housing 

allows the unit to operate in 

harsh environments without the need for fans or ventilation 

holes, it can easily be mounted on a 35mm DIN-Rail or with a 

flange on a wall. The computer operates in the -20 to +60°C 

temperature range (optionally even -40°C to +85°C) without 

fan or case openings. The internal miniPCIe slot allows 

various extensions (WLAN, GPRS...). 3 USB connectors and 

a microSD Memory Card Slot are available for easy logging 

and/or configuration capabilities. The CEC4 operates with an 

input voltage range of 8 to 36VDC and will draw as little as 

5 Watt. The CEC4 comes with a full functional Linux Debian 

distribution. 

MPL AG 

www.mpl.ch 


DISTRIBUTION CORNER 

Electronic component search engine Partstat 

aimed at distributors and OEMs 

Partstat, LLC has released what it claims to be a next generation 

electronic component search engine for distributors, original 

equipment manufacturers, contract electronic manufacturers 

and engineers needing inventory 

availabilities and other critical data 

on electronic components. Partstat 

now has information for over 10 

million unique parts including data 

sheets, pricing and lead times. An 

algorithm automatically scores suppliers based on credentials, 

potential obsolescence of parts. The site communicates with 

the global franchised distributor network for over 2,000 different 

product lines and gives users a satellite view of the suppliers 

facility. Users also have access to easy to read charts that show 

the trending analysis on pricing, quantity levels and lead times 

as far back as 1 year. The data in Partstat is updated daily. 

Partstat 

www.partstat.com 

Digi-Key to distribute LED products 

from Luminus Devices globally 

Digi-Key has signed a global distribution agreement with LED 

manufacturer Luminus Devices. “Solid-state lighting is one of 

the fastest-growing segments in today’s fast-paced market,” 

said Mark Zack, vice president, 

global semiconductor product, 

Digi-Key Corporation. “Luminus’ 

products, with their value-added 

and module-like offerings, support 

our full solution approach. 

High-efficiency, reliable LED 

lighting products have seen 

exponential expansion in recent years and Luminus Devices 

is among the leading suppliers of these technologies.” 

Digi-Key 

www.digikey.com 

Future Electronics launches Italian 

and Spanish websites 

Future Electronics announces the launch of its Italian and Spanish 

language websites as part of the company’s efforts to more 

effectively serve the growing markets in Italy and Spain, while 

continuing to expand its online presence on a global basis. 

In addition to providing localised 

content, these websites will provide 

customers with Future Electronics’ 

comprehensive search engine 

in Italian and Spanish. The new 

websites also offer a Technical 

Resources section with articles, 

events and promotions specific to 

each region. The sites will allow Spanish and Italian customers 

to transact in their local languages while still offering the same 

product information and technical resources that are available 

on the Global Website. These local language websites represent 

the long-term commitment to the growing markets in Europe. 

Future Electronics 

www.FutureElectronics.com 

High-reliability switches and keycaps for 

broadcast applications 

Luso Electronics Distribution now makes available a range of 

sample kits of high-reliability switches and keycaps, primarily 

aimed at broadcast applications, among others. The 

products are manufactured by 

Veetronix, a maker of keyboard 

and panel-mount switches for 

various markets, including video 

and audio mixing-desk equipment 

and in numerous military 

and government applications. 

Luso is the exclusive UK and Ireland 

distributor for the Veetronix range. Among the devices 

available are ‘07’ and ‘08’ type switches featuring lock-in 

alignment leads and sealed-reed contacts. The low-profile 08 

switches are suitable for rack-mount panels in particular. 

Luso Electronics 

www.lusoelectronics.com 

Premier Farnell acquires China-based 

Shenzhen Embest Technology 

Premier Farnell has completed its acquisition of Shenzhen 

Embest Technology Co Ltd (Embest), a provider of embedded 

system development boards and tools. Embest, which is 

based in China, will provide solutions to customers of Premier 

Farnell across the world. The addition of Embest’s products and 

services enables Premier Farnell to offer design engineering 

customers unique, end-to-end solutions that add value at every 

stage of the design process, improving efficiency and bringing 

new products to market faster. The move illustrates Premier 

Farnell’s investment in its proven strategy for profitable growth, 

becoming a global web and engineering solutions provider, 

whilst expanding into the growing Chinese market. The acquisition 

also gives Premier Farnell access to Embest’s CooCox 

open source, web-based IDE for ARM based designs. 

Premier Farnell 

www.element14.com 

Mouser launches harsh environments 

technology site 

Mouser Electronics has launched a new technology site featuring 

Harsh Environments. The new site contains technical 

information that aids design engineers’ thought process in 

developing and designing new solutions that meet the most 

stringent, rigorous operating 

conditions (dust, water, and even 

corrosive atmospheres, high 

temperatures and pressures). 

Other areas covered are the IP 

Code (IEC 60529) and NEMA 

Type Number (NEMA 250). These 

ratings designate the various types and degrees of protection 

afforded to electrical equipment by a housing or enclosure. In 

addition, the site provides extra resources to help spearhead 

design development such as in-depth industry articles, white 

papers and a comprehensive library of technical resources. 

Mouser Electronics 

www.mouser.com 


LAST WORD 

Publisher 

André Rousselot 

+32 27400053 

andre.rousselot@eetimes.be 

Editor-in-Chief 

Julien Happich 

+33 153907865 

julien.happich@eetimes.be 

EDITORS 

Nick Flaherty 

+44 7710236368 

nick.flaherty@eetimes.be 

Christoph Hammerschmidt 

+49 8944450209 

chammerschmidt@gmx.net 

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 

Paul Buckley 

+44 1962866460 

paul@activewords.co.uk 

Jean-Pierre Joosting 

+44 7800548133 

jean-pierre.joosting@eetimes.be 

Circulation & Finance 

Luc Desimpel 

luc.desimpel@eetimes.be 

Advertising Production & 

Reprints 

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lydia.gijsegom@eetimes.be 

Art Manager 

Jean-Paul Speliers 

Accounting 

Ricardo Pinto Ferreira 

Regional Advertising 

Representatives 

Contact information at: 

http://www.electronics-eetimes.com/en/ 

about/sales-contacts.html 

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business press 

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© 2012 E.B.P. SA 

ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING TIMES EUROPE is published 

11 times in 2012 by European Business Press SA, 144 

Avenue Plasky, 1030 Bruxelles, 

Belgium Tel: +32-2-740 00 50 Fax: +32-2-740 00 59 

email: info@eetimes.be. VAT Registration: BE 461.357.437. 

RPM: Brussels. Volume 14, Issue 09 EE Times P 304128 

It is is free to qualified engineers and managers involved 

in engineering decisions – see: http://www.electronicseetimes.com/subscribe 

Copyright 2012 by European Business Press SA. All rights 

reserved. P 304128 

Keeping open source 

software free 

By Romain Berrendonner 

The May 2nd 2012 ruling by the European 

Court of Justice (EUCJ) clearly 

excluded software functionality from the 

protection granted by the 1991 directive 

on the legal protection of computer 

programs. The Court also proceeded to 

affirm the right of the licensee to study 

the behaviour of licensed software. 

This all started with software editor 

SAS institute Inc. suing 

its competitor, World 

Programming limited 

(WPL), for implementing 

a solution emulating the 

behaviour of its software, 

and using the same 

programming language, 

on the grounds that WPL 

indirectly copied SAS 

software by replicating 

its functionality. Hence, 

it was alleged that WPL 

had committed copyright 

infringement. The Court 

asked the EUCJ, acting as 

the interpreter of European 

law, to rule on whether it 

was a copyright infringement 

to replicate the 

features of the software, 

or to create a program 

able to interpret and execute the same 

programming language, or to use the 

same data files as such software. The 

Court was also asked whether the 

lawful licensee of a computer program 

had the freedom to study and test it, to 

determine the ideas and principle which 

underlies any element thereof. 

The issues at stake in this debate are 

huge for the software industry. Users of 

open source software, as well as proprietary 

‘underdog’ competitors, frequently 

need to be able to read and write data 

files in formats initially designed by monopolistic 

vendors for their proprietary 

applications. Preventing them to do so 

would irremediably harm interoperability 

and cause a major blow to free competition 

on the European market, locking in 

consumers and both public and private 

Romain Berrendonner is Legal Counsel 

for Europe at AdaCore - 

www.adacore.com 

“It should be possible 

for a lawful licensee 

to study a program to 

determine the ideas and 

principles it embodies” 

procurement departments to those 

vendors. Software is an area of endeavour 

where progress is incremental and 

innovation comes from a combination 

of existing ideas. If functionality was 

protected in this way, the very notion of 

progress would be cut short. 

Thankfully, these concerns were 

shared by the Court’s Advocate General. 

He stated: “To accept 

that a functionality of a 

computer program can 

be protected as such 

would amount to making 

it possible to monopolise 

ideas, to the detriment of 

technological progress 

and industrial development”. 

Regarding the 

protection of programming 

languages, he 

concluded that languages 

are “the means which 

permits expression to be 

given, not the expression 

itself” and that they 

should be excluded from 

protection. Regarding 

the freedom to study the 

program, the Court ruled 

that the lawful licensee 

“is entitled, without the authorisation of 

the owner of the copyright, to observe, 

study or test the functioning of that 

program so as to determine the ideas 

and principles which underlie any element 

of the program”, provided that no 

exclusive right of the copyright holder 

is infringed. The fact that the license 

prohibits this kind of act is not an issue: 

article 9 of the 1991 directive makes null 

and void any contractual provisions to 

the contrary. 

As promoters of Free Software, we 

should celebrate the Court’s decision 

to affirm a legislation that implements 

an important part of Freedom #1 of the 

Free Software Definition. We should also 

be prepared that this decision could 

backfire at some point, with proprietary 

vendors further lobbying in favour of the 

patentability of software, in an attempt 

to work around the lack of protection of 

functionality under copyright law. 


1 2 

Previous 

Next 

Jul 24, 2012 8:12 AM 

Low power solutions for wireless 

Luce 

I’m looking for a low power solution for my next embedded wireless project. I need a processor, 

platform, some dev tools and embedded software. I need them fast and I need them to work. Any ideas? Cheers. 

Like (0) 

Reply 

Jul 24, 2012 8:30 AM 

RE: Low power solutions for wireless 

Hans 

Why don’t you go to element14? 

Like (96) 

Reply 

Jul 24, 2012 8:45 AM 


Luce 

Sorry mate, go where? 

Like (0) 

Reply 

Hans 

Jul 24, 2012 8:45 AM 


The Farnell element14 engineering community where you’ll find a tool called Knode. It contains everything you need for your design 

start. You can quickly research through thousands of tech documents and app notes, you’ll find dev kits, evaluation platforms, design 

examples and source code. Plus you get online access to prototyping services delivered to your door in as little as 48h! 

Like (58) 

Reply 

Research 

> Learning Centresover 11000 

tech documents 

> Design Elements 

> Forums 

Design 

> Development Platforms & Kits over 1000 

> Operating Systems & Stacks 

> Development Tools 

> CAD Tools 

Build 

> PCB Prototyping tested 

prototypes 

> Test & Measurement 

in 48h 

Luce 

Jul 24, 2012 9:00 AM 


Hi there, I’ve checked the Knode you recommended. I quickly got a result and found the platform I wanted. Best thing is I got in touch 

with other guys who’re working on similar projects and got answers to some other questions too. I found right products, there is about 

500k to choose from and with few clicks I can order and have them delivered next day. Thanks! 

Like (128) 

Reply 

Jul 24, 2012 9:15 AM 


Hans 

No worries mate. Glad I could help. A lot of my colleagues use it and think it’s a brilliant resource. 

Like (0) 

Reply 

7 out of 10 customers said that Farnell and 

element14 are an indispensable resource 

element14.com/knode

INFORMATION FOR VISITORS 

innovative electronics? 

they are on display here! 

e 

e 

e 

e 

e 

e 

e e 

e e 

e 

e e 

e 

e 

e 

e e 

25th International Trade Fair for Electronic 

Components, Systems and Applications 


November 13–16, 2012 

www.electronica.de

Inside tomorrow. 

Welcome to electronica 2012 

electronica 2012 focuses on the topics of electromobility, energy efficiency, 

sustainability and embedded solutions. 

There is so much to discover in these and in the all other exhibition 

sectors—the latest trends and technologies in innovative electronics 

on more than 142,500 m² of exhibition space! 

Unique program of related events 

Experience, knowledge and expertise: With three conferences with 

inter national speakers, four forums, the CEO Round Table which is 

open to the public, and more than 300 lectures, none of your questions 

will go unanswered. 

Wide range of exhibitors 

A comprehensive range of products and services—from components 

to systems, applications and services—awaits you at the largest 

electronics trade fair in the world with regard to space and the number 

of exhibitors (2,578 in 2010). 

Your business potential 

Future-oriented prospects for your company and new business potential 

await you on all four days of the fair—allowing you to discuss issues 

with the experts and orient yourself to the international electronics market. 

96% of visitors gave electronica 2010 a rating of good to excellent. 

Details: www.electronica.de/visitor

Exhibition sectors 

The range of exhibits covers technologies, products and solutions in the 

entire electronics industry. Despite the fact that it is so comprehensive, 

electronica still has a clear and transparent structure that makes it easy for 

you to find all exhibitors and their product/service portfolios. 

Interdisciplinary exhibition themes: 

• Semiconductors 

• Embedded systems 

• Displays 

• Micronano systems 

• Sensors 

• Test and measurement 

• Electronic design (ED/EDA) 

• Passive components 

• Electromechanics and system periphery 

• Power supplies 

• PCBs, other circuit carriers and EMS 

• System components 

• Automotive 

• Wireless 

• Information gathering and services 

Dynamic, innovative sectors 

• E-mobility/automotive 

• Embedded solutions 

• Smart energy solutions 

• Power electronics 

Details: www.electronica.de/2012 

Attend hybridica or electrical energy storage while you are here: 

For the third time, hybridica, the International Trade Fair for the Development 

and Manufacture of Hybrid Components and Lightweight Hybrid 

Solutions, takes place at the same time as electronica. And electrical energy 

storage, the International Trade Fair for Batteries, Energy Storage and 

Innovative Production, is celebrating its premiere this year. Your admission 

ticket grants you free admission to both fairs, which are being held at the 

same time as electronica 2012! 

Details: www.hybridica.de or www.ees-munich.com

Related-events program 

The forums at electronica 2012: They present, demonstrate, illustrate, 

explain, prove and inform. There are more than 130 events—find out today 

what will matter tomorrow. 

Forum highlights (excerpt): 

automotive Forum: 

• Panel discussion on power electronics 

• Panel discussion on “LEDs and innovative light concepts” 

• The component industry’s target markets 

• Electromobility: Efficient dynamics in mobility 

• Trends in power electronics 

• LEDs: Innovative light concepts for automotive 

• News and trends in microsystem technology 

• Electromobility: Dynamic. Ecological. Holistic. 

embedded Forum: 

• Micros & DSPs 

• Smart metering 

• ARM-based computers & processors 

• Industrial control & communication 

• Embedded computing 

• Energy management & efficiency 

• Small form factor boards: Tools & software 

• Electronic lighting software development

electronica Forum: 

• CEO Round Table on “Semiconductor solutions for smart-grid 

challenges” 

• “Student Day,” November 16, 2012 

• Medical electronics 

• News and trends in microsystem technology 

• Where were you in 1972, and where will the electronics industry 

be in 2052? 

• Organic electronics 

PCB Marketplace: 

• EMS—Success concepts, trends and strategies, and recent 

ZVEI activities in the areas of component cleanliness, storability and 

traceability 

• Market trends for PCBs, film-type integrated circuits and electronic 

assemblies 

• EMS/ODM/OEM and innovations with PCBs from Europe 

• The component industry’s target markets 

More about related events at electronica: 

www.electronica.de/supporting-program 

The dates and times of all forum and conference presentations 

are available here: www.electronica.de/event-database

Conferences 

Findings, intelligent views, insights and first-hand knowledge: Experts 

and insiders have the floor here. The conferences focus on topics that drive 

innovations in the industry. And they include international networking. 

electronica automotive conference: 

• November 12–13, 2012 

• Day 1: General strategy 

Mobility: Valeo • Driving safety: Continental, TÜV Süd • Vehicles 

on the Internet: Alcatel-Lucent, Neusoft, Visteon • Design-to-cost: 

Freescale, NXP and others 

• Day 2: Focus on technology 

Mobility: Hereaus, International Rectifier, Schweizer Elektronik • 

Driving safety: Infineon, Robert Bosch • Vehicles on the Internet: 

Freescale, kathrein automotive, TE Connectivity • Design-to-cost: 

Binder, Vishay and others 

For the first time ever, a panel discussion on the topic of mobility 

concepts is also planned. 

electronica embedded platforms conference: 

• November 14–15, 2012 

• The successful use of increasingly efficient microelectronics calls for 

intelligently coordinated interaction with software and development 

tools as well as support, engineering and manufacturing services. 

• Leading suppliers from the electronics industry such as Farnell, Infineon, 

Texas Instruments and TQ Systems as well as independent experts 

will give attendees an overview of and insights into the ecosystems of 

modern embedded platforms. 

• The conference will give you a sound foundation for selecting future 

embedded platforms and optimizing existing ones. 

More about the automotive and embedded sectors: 

www.electronica.de/en/automotive 

www.electronica.de/en/embedded 

More about the electronica automotive and embedded conferences: 

www.electronica.de/en/automotive-conference 

www.electronica.de/en/embeddedplatforms 

All presentations at the electronica automotive and embedded platforms 

conferences including abstracts: 

www.electronica.de/event-database 

Wireless Congress: Systems & applications 

This industry event has tradition—it is being held for the ninth time. 

This two-day congress is a compact source of know-how about everything 

from the latest solutions to technologies of the future. 

Additional information about the Wireless Congress: 

www.wireless-congress.com

Other highlights. 

CEO Round Table: An exclusive event 

Personalities from the upper echelons 

of international companies publically discuss 

“Semiconductor solutions for smart-grid 

challenges.” Valuable insights that are difficult 

to come by. 

Jobs and careers: Student Day 

Upcoming professionals deserve the best 

support possible: We are working with SEMICA, 

the VDE and the ZVEI to put together an 

interesting and appealing program for some 

300 budding engineers from throughout 

Germany. Besides a panel discussion on the 

topic of entering the professional world 

and a networking lunch with sponsors, the 

COSIMA Award will be presented. 

Relevant program content for students 

is also planned. 

More: 

www.electronica.de/supporting-program 

Information about all events: 

www.electronica.de/event-database

Hallenplan. 

Geländeplan 

25. Weltleitmesse für Komponenten, 

Systeme und Anwendungen der Elektronik 


13.–16. November 2012 


Hall diagram 

A1 Elektronik-Design (ED/EDA)* 

A1 Messen und Prüfen 

A2 Micronano-Systems 

A2 Servotechnik/Antriebselemente 

A2 Sensorik 

A2 Elektromechanik/Systemperipherie 

– Gehäusetechnik 

A3 Displays 

A3 A4 Halbleiter 

A5 A6 

A4 Wireless 

A6 Automotive 

A6 Embedded Systeme 

B1 C1 Leiterplatten, andere unbestückte 

Schaltungsträger und EMS 

B2 Stromversorgung 

B3 B4 Elektromechanik/Systemperipherie 

– Verbindungskomponenten/-systeme 

B5 Elektromechanik/Systemperipherie 

Relais, Schalter, Tastaturen und Kabel 

B5 B6 Passive Bauelemente 

in allen 

Hallen 

Informationswesen 

und -dienstleistungen, 

Systemkomponenten 

ICM electronica automotive conference 

electronica automotive Forum 

A6 Ausstellung 

A6 

embedded platforms conference 

electronica embedded Forum 

Ausstellung 

A3 electronica Forum 

C1 PCB Marketplace 

Am Messesee 

Parkhaus West 

Multi-storey 

car park West 

Am Messesee 

Nord 

West 

ICM 

West 

B 0 

Messehaus 

Administration 

building 

B 1 

A 1 

P 

Nord 

P2 P3 P4 

C 1 C 2 C 3 C 4 

P5 

W i l l y - B r a n d t - A l l e e 

P6 

B 2 B 3 B 4 B 5 B 6 

A t r i u m A t r i u m 

A 2 A 3 A 4 A 5 A 6 

P 

Ausstellungsfreig 

bzw. Parkplatznu 

Outdoor exhibitio 

or for parking 

ICM Wireless Congress 

Systems & Applications 

U2 

Messestadt West 

ExpressWay 

Linien-Bus/ 

Regular bus 

electronica 

Airport-Shuttle 

Taxi 

* Zugehörige Aussteller in gesamter 

Halle A1 zu finden 

electronica2012_Gelaendeplan_DE.indd 1 

Detailed overview: 

www.electronica.de/exhibitionfields

elände 

tzung/ 

n area 

P7 

Ost 

P8 

Am 

Messeturm 

P+R 

Parkhaus 

Park & 

Ride car 

park 

Plan of the fair grounds 

25th International Trade Fair for 

Electronic Components, Systems and Applications 


November 13 –16, 2012 


g 

A1 Electronic design (ED/EDA)* 

A1 Test and measurement 

A3 

A2 Displays 

Micronano-systems 

A2 Servo-technology/drive A3 A4 elements 

A2 Sensor technology 

A5 A6 

A2 Electromechanics/System peripherals 

– Casing technology 

A4 Wireless 

A3 Displays 

A3 A4 

A5 A6 

Semiconductors 

A4 Wireless 

A6 Automotive 

A6 Embedded systems 

B1 C1 PCBs, other circuit carriers 

and EMS 

B2 Power supplies 

B3 B4 Electromechanics/System peripherals 

– Interconnection components/systems 

B5 Electromechanics/System peripherals 

Relays, switches, keyboards and cables 

B5 B6 Passive components 

in all 

halls 

Information gathering 

and services, 

in all 

assemblies and subsystems 

halls 



A6 

Exhibition 

A6 

A1 Electronic design (ED/EDA)* 

A1 Test and measurement 

A2 Micronano-systems 

A2 Servo-technology/drive elements 

A2 Sensor technology 

A2 Electromechanics/System peripherals 

– Casing technology 

embedded platforms A6 conference 


Exhibition 

Semiconductors 

A6 Automotive 

A6 Embedded systems 

B1 C1 PCBs, other circuit carriers 

and EMS 

B2 Power supplies 

B3 B4 Electromechanics/System peripherals 

– Interconnection components/systems 

B5 Electromechanics/System peripherals 

Relays, switches, keyboards and cables 

B5 B6 Passive components 

Information gathering 

and services, 

assemblies and subsystems 



Exhibition 

U2 

Messestadt Ost 



ICM Wireless Congress 


A6 

embedded platforms conference 


Exhibition 

* Exhibitors in this exhibition sector allocated 

throughout entire Hall A1 



ICM Wireless 

15.06.12 11:34 

Congress 


* Exhibitors in this exhibition sector allocated 

throughout entire Hall A1

Opening hours & prices 

Exhibition: November 13–16, 2012 

Opening hours: Tuesday–Thursday: 9:00–18:00 

Friday: 9:00–17:00 

Your Print@home Ticket: Quick, convenient, affordable 

Purchase your admission ticket in advance, register online and print it 

out at home. That way you have direct access to the fair without waiting 

at the box office. Vouchers for one-day tickets that you receive from 

exhibitors can also be redeemed online. 

Online registration and ticket sales: www.electronica.de/en/tickets 

Save some 20% with a Print@home Ticket! 

Admission prices* 

1-day ticket 

2-day ticket 

Permanent pass 

Group ticket 

(Only for groups of 10 or more people) 

Discount tickets 

(Students, military/civil service, 

retirees) 

Online sales 

EUR 26.50 

EUR 45.00 

EUR 61.00 

At the fair 

EUR 33.00 

EUR 56.00 

EUR 76.00 

EUR 26.50 

EUR 18.00 

All prices include VAT, *includes exhibition catalog (while supplies last) 

In the case of class trips or groups of students, please contact us by e-mail 

at ticketservice@messe-muenchen.de. We will contact you as soon as possible 

to make arrangements. 

Closing date: October 29, 2012 

Newsletter 

• The electronica Newsletter contains interesting market reports, information 

about product innovations and tips for your personal career. 

Subscribe for free at: www.electronica.de/en/newsletter 

Organizer 

• my.electronica.de/en—Your personal organizer: Exhibitor lists, 

select events, your contact information and dates. Update it, print 

it out and export it to your PDA at any time. Register for free at: 

my.electronica.de/en

Getting there & accommodations 

Getting there: 

Whether you travel by plane, train or automobile, getting to Munich 

and to the fair is quick and easy. Be sure to inform yourself thoroughly 

about all travel possibilities and times. 

Take the train to electronica and back starting at EUR 79. 

Please be sure to also check for special rates on Lufthansa flights. 

Additional information about getting to the fair: 

www.electronica.de/arrival 

Accommodations 

Hotels, guesthouses and private accommodations: Please book early. 

Demand is high, particularly during fairs and exhibitions. 

Partner hotels & reservation services: 

www.electronica.de/accommodation

Our cooperation partners (excerpt): 

Organizer/Information 

Messe München GmbH 

Messegelände 

81823 München, Germany 

Tel. +49 89 949-11458 

Fax +49 89 949-11459 

info@electronica.de 

CXXXXXX 

All information and statements regarding ratings were taken from the electronica exhibitor and 

visitor surveys conducted by TNS Infratest in 2010. Multiple responses are possible. 

Published by Messe München GmbH, München; Besucherinformationen 06.2012 Subject to change without 

notice. Supplies limited. Only available while supplies last. All prices subject to VAT. Last update 06/12

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