Embedded World: MCUs, fanless computers, SBCs galore

When you arrive at Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany, and walk into any of the five halls, you think, Holy Toledo, this is like an EE wonder world! Microprocessors, ICs of every sort, a hundred fanless computers, a thousand single-board computers, HD displays of every size, and every passive component you can imagine — plus a few you cannot. 

Your next thought is, My goodness! I’ll never be able to look at everything here in two days; I should have planned for all three.

Your third thought will be, I wish these folks in front of me would move along or get out of the aisle! It is a busy place for sure, but also comfortable: easy to navigate, organized, and very friendly.

In five very large buildings, EW is a sight to see. There were 939 exhibitors from 38 countries, and I can provide only a few product highlights out of hundreds of worthy candidates just to give you a taste of what went on. I found that there was an emphasis on fanless computer modules, new microcontrollers, single-board computers, graphics displays, and security hardware/software.

The Vehicle-mount Computer FM10 from Winmate , which is intended for forklifts, trucks, and other warehouse vehicles, is said to help minimize errors and streamline ordering and inventory management. It uses a 1.91-GHz quad-core Atom E3845 CPU, 4 Gbytes of RAM, and the full Windows OS, and features a 10.4-inch GFG resistive touch screen with 1,024 x 768-pixel resolution. The system is for applications that primarily rely on touch input on a large display, and also has readily accessible programmable function keys. Taiwan-based Winmate has a sales office in Atlanta.

Design and Verification IP for Automotive Ethernet from Cadence Design Systems speeds the design process, enabling engineers to efficiently verify the Ethernet IP and integrate it into their designs. Systems like infotainment, advanced driver assistance systems, gateways, switches, and other high-performance electronic control units will all be equipped with automotive Ethernet interfaces to enable data communication within the vehicle. The Cadence Automotive Ethernet MAC supports 10/100/1,000 and is widely licensed for high-volume production.

The IO60-M410 data acquisition module for embedded systems with IO60 expansion from WinSystems  has 24 GPIOs tolerant to 30-V DC and 8-channel A/D conversion plus 4-channel D/A conversion. It operates over –40°C to +85°C, is RoHS-compliant, and supports Windows and Linux x86/64-bit drivers.

The Scope Rider handheld digital oscilloscope from Rohde & Schwarz  offers the capabilities of a lab oscilloscope with the form factor and ruggedness of a battery-operated handheld device. The scope has a 60-MHz to 500-MHz bandwidth with 5 Gsamples/s, isolated channels with CAT IV 600 V / CAT III 1000 V rating, a 10-bit A/D, 50,000 waveforms/s, and a capacitive touch screen and keypad operation.

Embedded Studio PRO from Segger Microcontroller  is an all-in-one embedded development package that includes a powerful integrated development environment, a complete embedded software suite (RTOS, GUI, USB, TCP/IP, File System), the J-Link PLUS debug probe, and a Cortex-M-based emPower development board. This streamlined package works out of the box.

The handsome design of the Interscale M case from Schroff inspires you to realize your ideas. The case, which is easy to assemble and dismantle with just two screws, offers integrated EMC protection and a set of optimized accessories.

The AMOS-3005 fanless industrial PC from VIA Technologies  harnesses the 1.2-GHz VIA Eden X4 quad-core processor and VIA VX11H MSP, including the VIA Chrome 640 graphics processor with DX11 support for richer textures and 2D/3D display. It features rich network connectivity in the form of dual GbE ports and optional Wi-Fi, GPS, and 3G networking, plus two lockable USB 2.0 ports.

AMD announced the third generation of the G-Series SoC, which delivers immersive graphics in a compact, energy-efficient package with low power consumption and high memory bandwidth for embedded applications. It offers dual or single “Excavator” x86 cores, Radeon graphics, 4K x 2K H.265 decode with multiple display technologies — HDMI 2.0, DP 1.2, eDP 1.4. The SoC has 6- to 15-W TDP, up to two channels of DDR4/DDR3, a secure processor, and a 10-year expected life.