Implement Turnkey Security for Connected Devices with Maxim’s Cryptographic Controller

MAXQ1061 speeds design time with full security and cryptographic toolbox supporting TLS communication

November 29, 2016—Developers of Industrial IoT (IIoT) and connected embedded systems can now design in an added level of trust while also bringing their products to market faster with the MAXQ1061 DeepCover® cryptographic controller from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM).

With the increase in cyber-attacks to critical connected infrastructures, security can no longer be an afterthought in system design. In a recent survey conducted by Electronic Design of 2,200 electronic engineers, 60% of respondents said security in their products is very important, and 96% think that security will either have the same or more importance for their products (Reference 1). Designed to meet Common Criteria EAL4+ requirements, the MAXQ1061 empowers engineers to quickly design security into their products and protect the endpoints of a network.

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Ultrahaptics shortlisted for the ACE Ultimate Product Software Award

Ultrahaptics, the mid-air haptic feedback technology company, has been shortlisted for the Ultimate Product Software award by the judging panel of the 2016 ACE Awards. The award recognises the most significant software product introduced between January 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016.

The Ultrahaptics’ Software Development Kit Version 2 uses algorithms to allow users to receive tactile feedback in mid-air without needing to wear or touch anything. The ‘feeling’ of an object is created by using an array of ultrasound transducers to generate and focus ultrasound which stimulate neuroreceptors in the skin. The carrier frequency for the ultrasound is 40 kHz due to transducer availability, propagation and audible properties. In order for human skin to detect the vibration, the 40 kHz ultrasound is modulated at a lower frequency within the perceptual range of feeling; the Ultrahaptics system typically uses 100-300 Hz corresponding to the peak sensitivity of the tactile receptors. Modulation frequency is one of the parameters that can be adjusted by the API to create different sensations. The location of the focal point, determined by its three-dimensional coordinates is programmed through the system’s API.

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Ultra-Compact Open Frame Ac-Dc Power Supplies are Ideal for Space-Constrained Applications

CUI Inc today announced a family of ultra‑compact ac-dc power supplies in an open frame SIP package. The 3 W and 5 W configurations of the PBO series measure as small as 35 x 11 x 18 mm (1.38 x 0.43 x 0.71 in), allowing them to occupy less board real-estate than other power solutions. The 3 W models are also available in low-profile, right-angle versions measuring as small 35 x 18 x 11 mm (1.38 x 0.43 x 0.71 in), making them ideal for applications where vertical board space is at a premium.

Available with typical efficiencies up to 80%, the high density PBO series offers a wide input voltage range of 85 to 264 Vac or 70 to 400 Vdc for high voltage dc-dc systems. Single output voltages of 3.3, 5, 9, 12, 15 and 24 Vdc are available depending upon the series. For use in challenging environments, the 3 W models offer a wide operating temperature range of -40 to +85°C while the 5 W models provide a range from -25 to +85°C.  Additionally, all models are designed to provide 3,000 Vac input to output isolation.

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u-blox announces new RPMA module and four LTE Cat 1 modules at EU Utility Week 2016

u-blox demonstrates commitment to the IoT with new RPMA module for LPWA applications and LTE Cat 1 modules with global network support

u-blox (SIX:UBXN), a global leader in wireless and positioning modules and chips, today announced its first RPMA module for Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWA) IoT applications, as well as four new LTE Cat 1 cellular modules. u-blox will be showing the NANO-S100, its first RPMA (Random Phase Multiple Access) module for the IoT (Internet of Things), made in partnership with Ingenu, at the European Utility Week 2016. u-blox is also showcasing four new LARA and TOBY LTE Cat 1 modules.

“As the IoT progresses, the gap between existing wireless options and what the market needs is growing,” said Stefano Moioli, u-blox Director of Product Management Cellular. “At u-blox we’re excited to fill the gaps both for the low-power wide area network needs in the unlicensed spectrum, with our new NANO-S100 modules using RPMA technology, and in the licensed spectrum for devices that need more bandwidth, with our new LARA and TOBY LTE Cat 1 cellular modules, which will take advantage of widely deployed LTE Cat 1 networks in Europe and North America.”
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LACROIX and Witekio, a partnership deliver industrial IoT

LACROIX,European partner in electronics manufacturing services has established  partnership with Witekio during the Electronica Trade Fair. this partnership provide “turnkey” solutions to clients incorporating expertise in the development and production of electronic assemblies.

This partnership enables in various fileds who enable it to offer innovative customised solutions to end customers while improving competitiveness and time to market. This program likewise empowers technical expertise to be pooled and comprehensive electronic solutions for be proposed.Lacroix Electronics and MicroEJ had already established partnership programme in  January 2016, enables for developing smart connected electronic products, all based  on low cost, low-energy hardware.

The complementary expertise of Witekio and LACROIX Electronics, combined with their  respective know-how, is being put to work for industrial IoT: Witekio brings its  expertise in software development on complex embedded or connected systems (OS, firmware, applications, connectivity, etc.), with LACROIX Electronics contributing to hardware development (electronics, mechanics) and the industrialisation through to mass production of devices in its factories in France, Germany, Tunisia and Poland. Within the context of this partnership, LACROIX Electronics has taken a particular interest in Witekio’s Linux development capabilities as well as its  presence in France and Germany, two priority target markets for both partners.

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Maxim’s Octal High-Side Switch and Driver Safely Demagnetizes Any Inductive Load for Industry 4.0 Applications

MAX14913 provides ultra-high speed switching and unique demagnetizing clamps

Designers of industrial controllers can safely drive and demagnetize any inductive load for Industry 4.0 applications with the MAX14913 octal high-side switch and driver from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM). With a unique, innovative, safe-demagnetizing clamp on each output, it easily and reliably interfaces low-voltage digital signals to 24V output-control lines.

• For more information about MAX14913, visit: http://bit.ly/MAX14913
• Download a hi-res image: http://bit.ly/Image_MAX14913
• Download a block diagram: http://bit.ly/Block_Diagram_MAX14913

For most industrial applications, engineers need a high-side switch to control inductive loads. The challenge is how to discharge the energy in the inductor when the switch opens and current flow stops. If the inductance and the resulting stored energy are high, a driver IC could be permanently damaged due to the generated heat.

Using its safe-demagnetization feature, the MAX14913 can discharge and demagnetize any inductive load safely via its integrated clamps. For a more robust solution, it provides open-wire and short-circuit diagnostics, the most-common external failure mode. Its best-in-class propagation delay enables higher system speed and throughput. Compared to its predecessor, the MAX14913 achieves 15x space savings by eliminating 16 diodes from its previous solution. In addition, it has eight 640mA high-side switches that can also be configured as push-pull drivers for high-speed switching. Applications include programmable logic controllers (PLCs), motion control units, drives, and other industrial and process automation applications.

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New light sensor to spot deadly bacteria in minutes

The risk of catching fatal Legionnaires’ disease from air conditioning units has been dramatically reduced, thanks to a new biophotonic light sensor that spots Legionella bacteria 240 times quicker than methods used today.

Outbreaks of Legionnaire’s Disease, a respiratory infection that can cause pneumonia, and in severe cases organ failure or septic shock, are more common than we might think. With anyone being susceptible, more than 100 cases are reported each week both in America and in Europe, with a fatality rate of around 10%.

Naturally occurring in freshwater lakes and rivers, the Legionella bacterium is harmless in small enough quantities, but problems start when it multiplies in plumbing systems, air conditioning units, Jacuzzis, decorative fountains or in a public water supply. Here it can be transmitted to humans when it condenses into droplets of fine mist which are inhaled and then settle in the lungs.

Roughly 5,000 cases are reported in the United States every year, while 2013 saw 5,851 cases reported by 28 EU Member States and Norway, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control (ECDC).

The European group POSEIDON, (or ‘Plasmonic-based automated lab-on-chip sensor for the rapid in-situ detection of Legionella’) intends to change all this, having developed their scanner to spot the deadly Legionella bacteria in under one hour, a process that normally takes 10 days of cultivation and analysis.

Equipped with tiny sensors, the device works by using the photonics technique of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), a procedure that reads information from a refracted laser beam, allowing fast, highly sensitive, inexpensive detection from a small sample without the need for ‘labelling’, the process of binding to a protein in order to be detected.

SPR occurs when polarized beams of light hit a metal film at the interface of two media. A charge density oscillation of free electrons (or “surface plasmons”) at the metal film occurs, reducing the intensity of reflected light. The scale of the reduction depends on the substance on the metal at the interface. Information then gathered from the refracted can then be analysed, and a pre-programmed pathogen confirmed, resulting in an unambiguous detection of the bacteria in situ.

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