Solutions for Industrial Computing News

Driven by cost-effective powerful hardware, embedded systems using enterprise software to store ever more data, are moving into application areas not previously considered — delivery trucks, medical examination rooms, and repair technicians' handheld devices, reports Embedded Computing Design. Key to this advance is the use of relational database systems that fit embedded footprints while maximizing functionality.

To accomplish the additional networking tasks currently required of embedded devices, a 32-bit SoC (System on Chip) may be the answer according to an Industrial Embedded Systems article. Explore what features and considerations are paramount in terms of flexible memory, configurable timing, IEEE 1588 protocol, etc. to synchronize a multitude of real-time events across an industrial network.

Manipulating 3D CAD images is now more intuitive, faster, and smoother using a controller that pans, rotates, tilts, and zooms in on an object by simply lifting, spinning, and tilting a cylinder to navigate, says Mechanical Engineering. Designed to supplement a mouse, the device is compatible with over 100 programs.

Featuring USB connectivity, a new family of data-acquisition (DAQ) and control modules is designed for test and measurement, security, and industrial control applications. Complete with diagnostic utilities and sample programs, the modules feature a broad I/O combination and outputs ideal for switching 24 V industrial-control devices. Additional specs and features appear in EDN.

Eliminating soldering and bond wires, Chip in Polymer (CiP) processing embeds chips into a multilayer organic substrate, delivering higher electronic density while boosting thermo-mechanical performance, reports EE Times-Europe. Built-in RF shielding makes automotive and radio applications ideal. Using conventional PCB materials, the technology is already producing automotive radar devices and mobile handsets.

When it comes to stackable small form factors for space, no industry standard can survive the extreme conditions — acoustic and pyrotechnic shock, adverse pressure, vibration, and up to 10-g loads. Fortunately, a NASA Langley team is proposing SPACE-104, which provides the necessary structure, conductive cooling/venting, radiation shielding, and other unearthly solutions; download the PDF.

Basing computers on optical rather than electrical signals tremendously speeds up data transmission within a chip since light signals can handle more info and deliver it faster. In practice, buffering is needed to control information flow. The solution: a silicon-based waveguide device that slows light 50,000-fold or 213 mi/hr (5.8 km/sec).

Targeted at industrial automation applications, the latest 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) are incorporating TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/internet protocol) functionality to communicate with other devices. Programmable for different I/O requirements, the RISC-based controller line uses an unconventional cache to permanently store critical code for fast execution. Evaluation design kits incorporating the optimized TCP/IP stack are available.

Transmitting RF energy at 900 MHz makes it possible to recharge batteries of remote controls, flash-memory devices, and other small electronics from 3.3 ft (1 m) away EE Times reports. The wireless-power breakthrough is slated for consumer devices and medical implants this year — cell phones may be next. Physicists say a several meter range is attainable.