April 18
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I
ndustrial
I
o
T
graphics, video and text; and slick user inter-
faces. Convergence of OT and IT increases the
risk of security threats. In the past, operations
were isolated - almost impenetrable from the
outside world. A hacker would need a phys-
ical link to attack a machine. A converged
industrial setting erodes barriers isolating
operations so that information can be shared
among systems to improve efficiency. New
barriers must be erected to ensure the integrity
of systems while maintaining permeability to
data flow. The first step for equipment man-
ufacturers is to secure processing platforms
in their equipment. They must ensure that
their systems execute only approved software
and connect securely to other systems. These
systems must be securely commissioned and
periodically updated and resist tampering of
their hardware and software. A recent NXP
white paper on IoT security discusses secu-
rity and trust considerations in more detail.
Although the paper context is consumer IoT,
the same considerations apply to the Indus-
trial IoT. The financial and safety risk in the
industrial context is higher, however, amplify-
ing its need for secure systems.
NXP is proud to enable Industry 4.0 equip-
ment manufacturers to incorporate state-of-
the-art networking, processing, HMI, and
security in their designs with its new QorIQ
Layerscape LS1028A processor. This SoC inte-
grates in one place the technologies needed in
next-generation industrial systems: time-sen-
sitive networking, high-performance pro-
cessing, hardware-accelerated user interfaces,
and high security. The LS1028 integrates a
four-port Gigabit Ethernet switch and two
additional Ethernet ports running at up to
2.5Gbps, all implementing TSN protocols.
Two powerful 64-bit ARM CPUs provide the
computing performance required for modern
industrial applications and support RTOSs
such as Linux with preemptive real-time
patches, Xenomai Linux, Nucleus from Men-
tor Graphics, and VxWorks from Wind River.
The GPU and LCD interface of the proces-
sor allows it to support high resolution dis-
plays and touch screen inputs. NXP software
includes an open-source industrial Linux
SDK with real-time performance and support
for TSN standards. Importantly, the processor
integrates NXP trust architecture, helping to
enable bullet-proof IoT security.
n
Figure 1. Modern machines which can be linked to the Industrial Internet of Things via different
protocols.
ST: new SDK makes motor-control design
faster and easier
STMicroelectronics has further simplified
development of advanced, energy-efficient
motor drives on STM32 microcontrollers
by harmonizing the latest STM32 PMSM
FOC Software Development Kit with the
STM32Cube ecosystem. The move extends
opportunities for engineers to build sophis-
ticated drives for equipment such as air con-
ditioners, home appliances, drones, building
automation, industrial machinery, medical
devices, e-bikes, and many others, without
needing specialized experience.
Microchip introduces MPLAB PICkit 4
programming and debugging
development tool
The debugging process remains an important
area where many embedded design engineers
would like to see improvements, according to
AspenCore’s 2017 Embedded Market Study.
To address these needs and enhance the devel-
opment experience, Microchip introduces the
MPLAB PICkit 4 In-Circuit Debugger. The
low-cost PICkit 4 in-circuit programming
and debugging development tool is meant
to replace the popular PICkit 3 programmer
by offering five times faster programming, a
wider voltage range (1.2-5V), improved USB
connectivity and more debugging interface
options.
Apacer to unveil ruggedized SSD
technology
After 20 years in the industry, the company
remains dedicated to showcase its indus-
trial products and technologies at embedded
world including top-range 3D NAND SSD,
industrial DRAM, and TCG Opal 2.0 solu-
tions. With the advent of Industry 4.0, Apacer
expects to unveil all-new 3D NAND flash stor-
age solutions to fulfill the macro demand in
cloud computing, automated industrial appli-
cations, and big data analysis.
CUI expands USB product line with USB
Type C connectors
CUI’s Interconnect Group announced the
addition of USB Type C connectors to its USB
product family. The UJ31 receptacle connec-
tor series and UP31 plug connector series
conform to the USB 3.1 Gen 2 standard that
supports data transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps
and power delivery up to 100 W at 20 V. With
a reversible connector interface for simple and
reliable mating, these USB Type C connectors
provide designers with a compact, versatile
solution for a variety of I/O applications in
consumer and portable electronic devices,
including high volume storage products, dig-
ital audio devices, and mobile computing
equipment.
Inova Semiconductors: standalone
LED driver for in-car lighting
Inova Semiconductors announces a new
standalone smart RGB LED driver and con-
troller, the INLC100Q16. This is the latest
member of Inova’s ISELED family, a truly
revolutionary concept for in-car LED light-
ing that substantially reduces costs, simplifies
control and enables dynamically changing
light. The next generation of in-car ambient
lighting will typically comprise of 10 to 30
LEDs mounted on a flexible light strip. Each
‘group’ consists of one red, green and blue LED
to form a ‘pixel’, which is then intelligently
controlled by the ISELED smart RGB LED
driver, effectively replacing the present cum-
bersome and costly work-around utilizing
multiple microcontrollers and a slow LIN bus.
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