FreeMotion Library selected for Atmel’s SAM D20

Atmel has selected Sensor Platforms’ FreeMotion Library as part of a rapidly growing ecosystem to support its low power, high-performance flexible SAM D20 Cortex M0+ core.

As we’ve previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, the ARM-based SAM D20 core is specifically tailored for sensor hubs and sensor-focused software. Its optimized features and flexible development ecosystem allow Atmel customers to create unique and differentiating products incorporating always-on sensors.

“As sensors increasingly find their way into all kinds of mobile devices, wearables and IoT (Internet of Things) applications, there is a huge premium on providing always-on functionality at a tiny fraction of system power – and we found this in the FreeMotion Library from Sensor Platforms,” said Dr. Reza Kazerounian, Sr. VP and GM, Microcontroller Business Unit, Atmel Corporation. “Software from our partners is available now and compatible with our own development environments.”

Dan Brown, CEO of Sensor Platforms, expressed similar sentiments and noted that the company’s low-power solution offers best-in-class capabilities to optimize power consumption, thereby enabling longer battery life.

“[Our] FreeMotion Library makes sensor fusion and user context awareness available in smartphones and tablets, in order to: combine and process data from installed sensors and microprocessors; better interpret users’ movements and situations; and infer users’ intents,” Brown explained.

“The library makes it easy for device OEMs to purchase their sensors and microprocessors from multiple suppliers without damaging user experience. It also automatically optimizes sensor and platform power consumption based on user movement and contexts to enable longer battery life.”

Atmel’s SAM4E16C drives “The Beast”

HackADay’s very own Mathieu Stephan has penned an article describing “The Beast,” an ARM Cortex-M4 based platform equipped with a plethora of communication interfaces and on-board peripherals.

“The microcontroller used in the project is the ATSAM4E16C from Atmel, which has 1Mbyte of flash and 128Kbytes of SRAM,” writes Stephan.

“It integrates an Ethernet MAC, a USB 2.0 Full-speed controller, a sophisticated Analog to Digital Converter and a Digital to Analog Converter (among others).”

Additional board components include: a microphone with its amplifier, a capacitive touch sensor, two unipolar stepper motors controllers, two mosfets, a microSD card connector, a Bluetooth to serial bridge, a linear motor controller and battery retainer for backup power.

The firmware was made in C and uses the Atmel Software Framework. And yes, the project is obviously open hardware (Kicad) and open software.

As previously discussed on Bits & Pieces, Atmel’s SAM4E16C is an ARM Cortex-M4 processor-based microcontroller (MCU) that features a floating point unit and high data bandwidth architecture. The MCU – targeted at industrial automation and building control applications – embeds 1MB Flash and boasts multiple networking/connectivity peripherals, including a 2.0A/B compatible CAN interface and an IEEE Std 1588-compatible 10/100Mbps Ethernet MAC.

Additional communication interfaces? An FS USB device, HS SDCard/SDIO/MMC interface, USARTs, SPIs and multiple TWIs. Analog features include dual 1Msps; 16-bit ADCs of up to 10 channels with analog front end offering offset and gain error correction; and 2-channel, 1Msps 12-bit DAC.

Interested in learning more about Atmel’s ARM-based MCU powering “The Beast?” Additional information about Atmel’s ATSAM4E16C can be found here.

Getting up close with MYIR’s MYD-SAM9X5 dev board

Yesterday, Bits & Pieces took a closer look at at MYIR’s development board series for Atmel’s lineup of SAMA5D3 ARM Cortex-A5 based processors.

Today, we’ll be discussing MYIR’s MYD-SAM9X5 dev board series based on Atmel’s AT91SAM9X5 ARM926 processors which are capable of hitting speeds of up to 400MHz.

“The boards have a commonly-used base board and are using MYC-SAM9X5 series CPU modules as core boards,” a MYIR rep explained.

“There are five CPU Modules for selections respectively based on AT91SAM9G15, SAM9G25, SAM9G35, SAM9X25 and SAM9X35.”

All offer the same circuit design – albeit with minor configuration differences. Meanwhile, the CPU modules integrate all  core components, with I/O signals extended through the standard SO-DIMM 200-pin connector.

MYIR has also ported Linux 2.6.39 and Google Android 2.3.5 for the MYD-SAM9X5 series, offering relevant software packages, documents and cable accessories. In addition, optional 4.3-inch and 7-inch LCD touch screens are available for the 9G15, 9G35 and 9X35 devices.

“With a rich peripheral set, the boards can be used for a variety of applications including industrial controls, medical equipment, automation, portable data terminals, biometric security systems, test and measurement instruments,” the MYIR rep added.

A closer look at MYIR’s DevKit for Atmel’s SAMA5D3 lineup

Today we’ll be taking a closer look at MYIR’s development board series for Atmel’s lineup of SAMA5D3 ARM Cortex-A5 based processors.

Four CPU modules are available for use with the MYD-SAMA5D3X family, including those based on Atmel’s ATSAMA5D31, SAMA5D33, SAMA5D34 and SAMA5D35. All offer the same circuit design – albeit with minor configuration differences.

“The board family has a commonly-used base board and is using MYC-SAMA5D3X series CPU modules as core boards,” a MYIR rep explained. “The CPU modules integrate 512MB DDR2 SDRAM, 256MB Nand Flash, 16MB Nor Flash and 4MB Data Flash on-board. It is connected with the base board [via] an SD-DIMM 200-pin connector which provides an interface for the base board to carry all the I/O signals to and from the CPU module.”

Meanwhile, the base boards offer a rich set of peripherals, headers and connectors including serial ports, USB Host, OGT, CAN, RS485, Ethernet, MMC/SD, Micro SD, LCD and audio.

MYIR has already ported Linux 3.6.9 and (Google) Android 4.0.4 to the MYD-SAMA5D3X platform, offering a comprehensive set of software packages, documents and cable accessories. In addition, 4.3-inch and 7-inch LCD touch screens are available for use with the SAMA5D31, SAMA5D33 and SAMA5D34.

“The platform [offers] a solid and flexible reference design to enable users to extensively evaluate, prototype and create applications that require audio, mass storage, networking, connectivity and more,” the MYIR rep added. “Typical applications include control panel/HMI, smart grid, medical and handheld terminals, smartwatches, outdoor GPS, DECT (digital enhanced cordless telecommunications) and smartphones.”

Active-Semi goes turnkey with Atmel’s eMPUs

Active-Semi has debuted a number of reference design solutions for Atmel’s ARM Cortex A5 and ARM9-based eMPUs (Embedded Micro Processor Units) using Active-Semi’s ACT8865 and ACT8945A PMICs (Power Management Integrated Circuits).

According to Jacko Wilbrink, Senior Product Marketing Director of ARM eMPU & Secure at Atmel, the above-mentioned embedded solutions offer high differentiation, specifically for low-power applications such as smartwatches, wearables, POS (Point-of-Sale) and HMI (Human Machine Interface).

“These turnkey, highly integrated power IC solutions from Active-Semi fit well with Atmel’s eMPU platform approach by reducing design cycle-time up to 80% and enabling the lowest standby power (under 2mW), critical in conserving battery life in portable applications,” Wilbrink explained. “Working with Active-Semi to develop the ACT8865 and ACT8945A Family of PMICs has helped to further simplify our customer’s system design and reduce the number of power components by as much as 80 percent.”

As Mark Cieri, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Active-Semi notes, the ACT8865 and ACT8945A PMICs integrate the complete voltage regulator requirements of Atmel eMPU-based systems, including three step-down DC-DC converters and two low-dropout (LDO) linear regulators – all while leaving free two additional LDO for auxiliary customer-specific functions.

The devices also include pre-configured power rail sequencing that removes the associated design complexity of discrete solution alternatives. In addition, the ACT8945A offers an integrated battery charger and ActivePath power path management to efficiently regulate battery charging. Both products offer serial communication interfaces to configure and control the operation of the PMICs.

“We see tremendous market opportunity for high density and energy efficient microprocessors such as Atmel’s SAMA5 and SAM9 that are enabling a new class of consumer and industrial embedded applications,” Cieri added. “Our ACT8865 and ACT8945A devices have proven valuable, as they enable up to a 50% reduction in both size and total cost of the power solution but at higher performance than the discrete alternatives.”

The ACT8865 and ACT8945A are in production today. For more information and to order samples, evaluation kits or Atmel reference design information, readers can visit www.active-semi.com/AtmelPMU.

IoT: A quiet revolution is taking shape

Over three-quarters of companies are now actively exploring or using the Internet of Things (IoT), with the vast majority of business leaders believing it will have a meaningful impact on how their companies conduct business.

Based on current estimates, the number of “things” predicted to be connected to the Internet by the end of this decade range from a staggering 30bn to 50bn.

Clearly, consumers will likely soon be awash with IoT-based products and services – even if they may not realize it. As Clint Witchalls notes in a recent report sponsored by ARM, data is therefore a fundamental component of the IoT’s future.

Indeed, fitting sensors to a potentially infinite number of “things” will generate untold amounts of new information. However, most business leaders remain confident that their organizations will be capable of managing and analyzing the data flowing from the predicted rapid expansion in IoT networks. The solution will be finding an acceptable balance that does not slow the system down to the extent that it becomes unworkable. This is obviously a challenge for organizations, but one that is surmountable.

“There is this very simple equation that we’ve learnt,” explains Elgar Fleisch, the deputy dean of ETH Zürich. “People will use a technology if the perceived benefit is larger than the perceived risk. As long as the perceived benefit is bigger, people don’t worry as much about the risks.”

To be sure, says Witchalls, the IoT is a quiet revolution that is steadily taking shape. Businesses across the world are piloting the use of the IoT to improve their internal operations and are preparing a stream of IoT-related products and services. Consumers might not (initially) recognize them as such, but that will not stop them from being launched, as few end users need to know that user-based car insurance, for example, is an IoT-based application.

Yet some important unknowns remain, Witchalls acknowledges. Perhaps most importantly, nobody knows what the winning business models are going to be. Even seasoned management consultants will struggle to provide definitive answers. Simply put, it is likely a matter of experimenting with different models to see which ones work.

The main message for latecomers and doubters? Consider the opportunities offered by the IoT—if nothing else than to improve internal operations. To be sure, there is a consensus that companies which are slow to integrate the IoT risk falling behind the competition. As such, the next step for business leaders is to decide what IoT commitments and investments they are ready to make, and where.

Interested in learning more about the rapidly evolving IoT? Part one of this series can be read here, part two here, part three here and part four here.

Atmel’s fast Cortex-A5 based MPU is low power

Last week, Atmel expanded its ARM Cortex-A5 microprocessor (MPU) portfolio with new SAMA5D3 devices that deliver smaller packaging, extended temperature support and an alternative peripheral mix.

The latest SAMA5D3 devices – designed to neatly balance high performance and low-power operation – also offer an expanded ecosystem with new software and hardware.

“To better meet wearable, portable computing and medical application requirements, we have added a smaller package option to the SAMA5D31 to include a tiny, fine-pitch 12x12mm BGA324 0.5mm ball pitch package,” Jacko Wilbrink, Sr. Director of ARM Products, Atmel Corporation, explained.

“For volumes starting at 100,000 pieces, Atmel offers the SAMA5D3 in-die, facilitating the development of Silicon in Package (SiP) solutions for even smaller form factor designs. Incremental support for the industrial and automotive aftermarket is provided by the new SAMA5D36, a superset device providing a unique combination of user interface (UI) and connectivity features including an LCD, 2x Ethernet ports and dual CAN support.”

As the folks at Electronic Products note, the Cortex-A5 based SAMA5D3 (ATSAMA5D3xA) microprocessor now offers a smaller 12 mm package and -40° to 105°C temperature support. The device – which delivers up to 850 DMIPS at 536 MHz – sips under 150 mW in active mode at maximum speed and boasts a 64-bit advanced interrupt controller, SHA algorithm, AES security support and 192 customer allocated fuse bits.

In addition, the MPU lineup series features an multi-layer internal bus structure and 39 DMA channels, plus support for DDR2/LPDDR/LPDDR2 and MLC NAND flash memory with 24-bit ECC and a floating point math unit (VFPv4). The MPU is also equipped with a 12-channel 12-bit A/D converter, a GbE MAC with 1588 support, a 10/100 Ethernet MAC, two CAN controllers, a four channel 16-bit PWM controller along with many other I/O.

Atmel’s SAMA5D3 lineup can be purchased from Electronic Products here.

The IoT connects a cast of billions

Based on current estimates, the number of “things” predicted to be connected to the Internet by the end of this decade range from a staggering 30bn to 50bn. However, as Clint Witchalls notes in a recent report sponsored by ARM, having connected “things” is the easy part. More difficult will be getting these things to communicate with each other—where human involvement is still necessary.

“With the traditional Internet it was easy to ‘go it alone.’ Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) start-ups did not first sit down with telecommunications operators and work out how they would fit together in the ecosystem,” Witchalls explains. “[In] contrast, the IoT tends to follow Metcalfe’s Law, which says that the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of its users. Thus, a more cooperative approach than that shown in the past by telecoms and Internet companies will be required. Many users are needed to achieve the ‘network effects.'”

Kevin Ashton, who originally coined the term the “Internet of Things” (IoT) in 1999 while working at Proctor & Gamble, draws another clear distinction between the Internet and the IoT. As Ashton points out, the rollout of the traditional Internet happened relatively quickly, with companies granted access to a system that could interoperate before they had invested too heavily in systems that could not.

Since then, companies have built up their own networks, with significant investment. The challenge? To convince corporations to see the benefits in a common network. A simple example of one of these “walled gardens,” says Ashton, is employee office passes or ID badges, many of which are fitted with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. While swiping an ID card will get an employee into his or her workplace, the employee still has to fill out a form or wear an identity sticker when visiting a different office building. A common network between landlords could eliminate this inefficiency, while creating a much richer data set on employee whereabouts.

“What we have right now is a lot of IoT-type technology that is heavy on things and light on Internet,” Ashton confirms. “That’s [really] the bit that needs to change.”

Unsurprisingly, much of the collaboration currently under way within industry verticals is around standards, such as information-exchange protocols. According to Elgar Fleisch, the deputy dean of ETH Zürich, there is an extensive standardization effort going on.

“The main impact of standardization is that every computer can talk to every other computer and everything can talk to every other thing,” he says. “That dramatically reduces the cost of making things smart. The IoT will not fly if we don’t have these standards.”

Clearly, the full potential of the IoT will only be unlocked when small networks of connected things, from cars to employee IDs, become one big network of connected things extending across industries and organizations. Since many of the business models to emerge from the IoT will involve the sale of data, an important element of this will be the free flow of information across the network.

Interested in learning more about the rapidly evolving IoT? Part one of this series can be read here, part two here and part four here.

Taking the IoT to the next level

Over three-quarters of companies are now actively exploring or using the Internet of Things (IoT), with the vast majority of business leaders believing it will have a meaningful impact on how their companies conduct business. Clearly, the the IoT is reaching a tipping point.

Although the concept of an Internet of Things has been around for at least a decade, the IoT is beginning to become an important action point for the global business community. As Clint Witchalls notes in a recent report sponsored by ARM, there is no doubt that IoT-related technology is already having a broad impact across the world. Although the precise effect is likely to vary by country and by company, it is hard to imagine any sector will be left untouched by rapidly evolving Internet of Things.

Kevin Ashton who originally coined the term the “Internet of Things” (IoT) in 1999 while working at Proctor & Gamble, points out that the recent “trickle” of IoT product releases is all part of a larger plan to test market appetite.

“We are trying to understand before we get in too deep, because once you are financially invested and committed you cease to become agile. Then you really have to start building on the thing you’ve already invested in,” Ashton explains. “In the early stages of technology deployment it’s a charitable act really to explore a new technology because the return on investment isn’t there, it’s too expensive and it’s too unknown. That’s where government has a role.”

Looking ahead, investment in the IoT should continue to increase as more and more senior executives move up the IoT learning curve. According to Witchalls, the costs associated with the IoT will continue to fall concurrently – just like any nascent technology. Indeed, a number of early adopters believe that the technology is already mature enough and cheap enough to make IoT products and services viable without the need for a big upfront investment, at least for initial trials.

“You don’t need a lot of R&D, it’s more about integration,” says Honbo Zhou, a director of China’s Haier. “Everyone can build it [into their products]. It’s just a matter of finding a business model that works.”

Meanwhile, Elgar Fleisch, the deputy dean of ETH Zürich, a science and technology university, says he believes IoT adoption will be quite different from what he dubs the “Internet of people revolution.”

During the first phase of the Internet, he maintains, anyone with a good idea and a computer could start an organization with global reach. However, Fleisch sees the initial advantage in the “IoT revolution” going mainly to bricks-and mortar organizations, especially large firms with many assets to track and monitor. Meaning, we are unlikely to see another Facebook, Yahoo or eBay.

“There will be winners and losers, but we are unlikely to see entirely new big players entering the market,” Fleisch opines.

Notwithstanding the significant involvement of the physical world of assets and products, the IoT is still expected to be a less visible revolution than the traditional Internet.

“PayPal, Groupon and YouTube are well-known Internet companies, yet few people are probably aware that the smart meter in their cellar means that their home is a part of the IoT,” writes Witchalls. “As organizations move towards the ‘productization’ of the IoT, there are signs that business leaders recognize that this need not be a major hindrance: undeveloped consumer awareness is not seen as one of the top obstacles to organizations using the IoT. After all, consumers will always want products and services that are better, cheaper, greener and more convenient.”

As Ashton notes, “Consumers are not going to demand the Internet of Things. Nobody is going to demand the underlying infrastructure.”

Rather, says Ashton, consumers will demand some value and benefit.

“They’re going to demand a security system that they can control from their smartphone. You don’t go to the end user and talk about the Internet of Things. You go to the end user to talk about benefits,” he adds.

Want to learn more about how the IoT revolution is gathering pace and reaching a tipping point? Part one is available here, part two here, part three here and part four here.

BSN* talks Atmel and ARM

This week, The Bright Side of News (BSN*) crew sat down with Atmel reps on the sidelines of ARM TechCon 2013 in Santa Clara to discuss two major announcements: the expansion of Atmel’s ARM Cortex-A5 MPU lineup and a series of new sensor hub partnerships.

“These two are clearly forward-thinking products that will hopefully put [Atmel] as front runners in newly expanding parts of the ARM universe,” writes BSN* Editor in Chief Anshel Sag. “Atmel first talked to us about their sensor hub and the introduction of the SAM D20 Cortex M0+ based design. Their MCU is designed in conjunction with a special development board in order to make it easier for companies to develop certain sensor fusion more easily. And because of the MCU’s low-power and design it can be integrated into tiny package sizes enabling sensors and sensor fusion within a single package.”

As Sag notes, this is because Atmel’s $600 development board is capable of enabling not only the connectivity of multiple sensors from various vendors, but also providing an easier software stack to make sensor fusion possible.

“After all, the truth is that sensor fusion will be the future of most mobile computing and it makes sense that someone would need to make it easier to combine different sensors together,” Sag continues. “Atmel is working with Bosch, Intersil, Kionix, MEMSIC and Sensirion to make sensor wings in order to work with the Xplained development board. By doing this, these companies not only increase the possibility that their sensors will get used, but they also make it easier to buy more of their sensors.”

Sag also discusses Atmel’s updates to its ARM Cortex A5-based solutions which are designed to expand the company’s capabilities.

“This chip is their SAMA5D3 MPU and is designed to increase the versatility, durability and gaining more features. Atmel’s goal is to enable these Cortex-A5 chips to be used in virtually any low-power application with or without the need for [a] display,” he adds.

“One of the variants of this chip, the SAMA5D36, is a superset device which enables the use of an LCD, two ethernet ports, and dual CAN support. All other models sacrifice on one of those three things, but this chip enables all three fully. There is also the SAMA5D36 and SAMA5D35 which support ambient temperatures in the range between -40 degrees to 105 degrees celsius. This would enable some very interesting industrial applications as well as potential for some automotive applications.”

The full text of the BSN article can be read here.