Embedded World 2015 Notes

Day one of embedded world in Nuremberg, Germany started off a little slow at the 9am opening, but by 11 things were popping on all cylinders.

Kontron is introducing the KBox A-103 compact embedded box PC that is intended for factory automation systems. Robust construction makes it suitable for use in the harshest industrial environments and it features a fan- and cable-free format, long service life, and low power consumption. The box can be equipped with industrial I/Os, field buses, and/or industrial Ethernet interfaces and comes with extensive diagnosis functions such as Kontron’s Embedded Application Programming Interface.

Developers benefit from a library of API functions, which provide hardware information on all new Kontron embedded platforms. The KBox A-103 is equipped with scalable SMARC modules, which have the latest Intel Atom processors, up to E3845.

Meanwhile, over at Silicon Labs booth all they wanted to talk about is a complete Bluetooth Smart solutions portfolio they say will help minimize the energy consumption, cost and complexity of wireless IoT designs. Silicon Labs’ recent acquisition of Bluegiga, a maker of wireless modules and software, accelerates their ability to deliver comprehensive Bluetooth Smart solutions. The new Blue Gecko solutions include ultra-low-power wireless SoCs, embedded modules, and Bluegiga’s software development kit and software stack.

Atmel launched its next-generation CryptoAuthentication chip the ATECC508A. It’s the first device to integrate ECDH (Elliptic Curve Diffie–Hellman) security protocol – an ultra-secure method to provide key agreement for encryption/decryption, along with ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm) sign-verify authentication.

With ECDH and ECDSA the chip provides confidentiality, data integrity and authentication in systems with an MCU running encryption/decryption algorithms (such as AES) in software. The ATECC508A employs ultra-secure hardware-based cryptographic key storage and cryptographic countermeasures which are more secure than software-based methods. It uses a 256-bit SHA/HMAC hardware engine and a unique 72-bit ID and is compatible with any MCU. The IC runs on 2 to 5.5 V with 150 nA standby current.

The RH850/D1M 32-bit microcontroller shown by Renesas targets vehicle instrument cluster applications for enhanced information and safety. MCU has up to 3.6 Mbytes of video DRAM, 3.75 or 5.0 Mbytes of code flash, 512 Kbytes of local RAM, and a newly developed high-function graphics engine supported by an efficient graphics library. It operates at 160 or 240 MHz with an 8 Kbyte / 4-way associative instruction cache. External memory interfaces are also available. From more coverage of this device you ca see: http://electronicproducts-com-develop.go-vip.net/Digital_ICs/Microprocessors_Microcontrollers_DSPs/32_bit_MCU_targets_vehicle_instrument_cluster.aspx.