Electronics For You 04 - 2017

INTERVIEW: Latest Disruptions In The IoT - Gopal Govindharajan, Dell EMC

INTERVIEW: AI, The Next Step After The IoT - Venkat Mattela, Redpine Signals Inc.

STARTUP INDIA: Bolt IoT: Hardware And Cloud Platform For IoT Products

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For You Virtual Reality Moving Towards Real-Life Scenarios Market Survey

Indian PCB Industry: Vol. 05 No. 12 ISSN 2454-4426

Pages: 132+8

Opportunities And Challenges

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Contents cs oboti gs art R Thin • Sm et of rn rs: te In esso e c h ro T • eP e t of th w-Voltag h ig F o • -L ultra mputing co

April 2017 VoL. 05 | No. 12 ISSN-2454-4426

Editor

tech focuS

: ramesh Chopra

Editorial : Editorial Secretary CorrESpondEnCE phone: 011-26810601; E-mail: [email protected] (technical queries: [email protected]) SubSCriptionS & : phone: 011-26810601 or 02 or 03 E-mail: [email protected] miSSing iSSuES

44

Virtual Reality Now Moving

Towards Real-Life Scenarios

18 Futuristic

75 Test & Measurement

baCk iSSuES, bookS, Cds, pCbs etc.

: kits‘n’Spares, new delhi phone: 011-26371661, 26371662 E-mail: [email protected]

Self-Healing Electronics: On The Way

Making Devices Safe With IS 13252 Standard Compliance

nEwSStand diStribution

: ph: 011-40596600 E-mail: [email protected]

A Filterless Design For Air-Pollution Control

Make In India

26 Automation

Value-Added Economy

advErtiSEmEntS : ph: 011-26810601 or 02 or 03 nEw dElhi (hEad offiCE) E-mail: [email protected] mumbai

: ph: 022-24950047, 24928520 E-mail: [email protected]

22 Pollution Everything You May Like To Know About Infrared Water Faucets

86 Market Survey: Indian PCB Industry:

32 Hands-On

eStyle

Ten Problems You Can Solve With A Multimeter

bEngaluru

: ph: 080-25260394, 25260023 E-mail: [email protected]

punE

: ph: 08800295610, 09870682995 E-mail: [email protected]

gujarat:

: ph: 079-61344948 E-mail: [email protected]

China

: power pioneer group inc. ph: (86 755) 83729797, (86) 13923802595 E-mail: [email protected]

japan

: tandem inc., ph: 81-3-3541-4166 E-mail: [email protected]

SingaporE

: publicitas Singapore pte ltd ph: +65-6836 2272 E-mail: [email protected]

taiwan

: j.k. media, ph: 886-2-87726780 ext. 10 E-mail: [email protected]

unitEd StatES

: E & tech media ph: +1 860 536 6677 E-mail: [email protected]

38 Virtual Augmented Reality: How Real Is The Interaction

Hybrid Emulation And The Challenges Ahead

66 EFY Plus DVD 67 Manufacture Smart Coding Techniques And Their Benefits For Electronics

70 Design Increasing Processing Power Of DIY And Hobbyist Development Boards

73 Innovation Bolt IoT: Hardware And Cloud Platform For IoT Products Interview

78

INTeRNeT of ThINgS: “There Will Be More Than 300 Per cent Increase In Investment In AI In 2017” — oeM, Dell eMc

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58 Chip Design

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94 Buyers’ Guide: You Can Have Lots Of

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DC Power Distribution: Need To Think Of Current Situation

printed, published and owned by ramesh Chopra. printed at international print-o-pack ltd, C-4 to C-11, hosiery Complex, phase-ii Extension, noida-201305, gautam budh nagar, uttar pradesh, on the first day of each month and published from d-87/1, okhla industrial area, phase-1, new delhi 110020. Copyright 2017. all rights reserved throughout the world. reproduction of any material from this magazine in any manner without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility whatsoever is taken for any loss due to publishing errors. articles that cannot be used are returned to the authors if accompanied by a self-addressed and sufficiently stamped envelope. but no responsibility is taken for any loss or delay in returning the material. EfY will not be responsible for any wrong claims made by an advertiser. disputes, if any, will be settled in a new delhi court only.

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83 Viewpoint: Switching From Service To

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You plus

79

ARTIfIcIAL INTeLLIgeNce: “In The Next Industrial Revolution, The commodity Will Be AI” — Venkat Mattela, founder, chairman and chief executive officer, Redpine Signals Inc.

96 Serial Interface Using Python Software 100 Dual-Laser Security System Using An Old Feature Phone 102 Short-Range FM Radio Station 104 Diode Tester Using MATLAB Based GUI 106 Stereo Amplifier Using TDA7052 ICs For Portable Devices 108 Wireless Gate Alarm 110 Real-Time Face Recognition Using Python And OpenCV 112 Memory Design Using Verilog

efY Plus DVD

SimulIDE For Simulating Electronic Circuits ....................I CircuitMod: Modifying The Approach To Circuit Simulation ....................................................IV Electronic System Design: Begin With XSCHEM ............ VII

Regulars 08 10 12 80 90 92 116 125 128

Feedback Q&A Tech News Make in India: Industry News New Products First Look Business Pages Ads Electronics Mart Ads Advertisers’ Index + Advertisers’ Product Categories Index 129 Attractions During 2017

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Feedback Your suggestions

ARTICLE FOR EFY I am a regular reader and fan of EFY for the last decade, presently working in Bahrain Training Institute, Kingdom of Bahrain. I, along with one of my colleagues, am interested in publishing an article in EFY. The article is related to process automation using pneumatics, hydraulics and LabVIEW. We have a state-of-the-art lab with all equipment and components from Festo, Germany. Mohammed Rizwan Through email EFY. Thanks for your interest in EFY! We are glad that you wish to contribute an article to EFY. Please send the complete article/project to editsec@ efy.in for review. Before sending the article, you may refer to EFY’s editorial guidelines at http://efymag.com/Guidelines_for_EFY_Authors.doc

COMPRESSION USING MATLAB In ‘Lossless Image Compression Using MATLAB’ DIY article published in February 2016 issue, what should I do to compress the whole video once I have converted it into frames? Kailash yadav Through email The author Lalit Patil replies. Write a ‘for loop’ code to compress frames one by one. When complete compression of frames is done, merge the frames into video to make it a compressed video.

HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE MONITORING In ‘Humidity And Temperature Monitoring Using Arduino With The IoT’ DIY article published in October 2016 issue, how can I get an alert message in the form of an SMS from ThingSpeak 8

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

From electronicsforu.com

Electronics Projects In ‘Electronic Eye Security System’ DIY article published in January issue, the buzzer in the circuit is ringing continuously as soon as the circuit is turned on. Please help. Omkar EFY. If you exposed LDR1 sensor to light source, you will get a continuous buzzer alarm. Cover LDR1 completely with a suitable size opaque material or contraption to stop the alarm. The ‘Electronic Thermostat For Fridge’ DIY article published in May 2016 issue is a little complicated but you have explained it very well! Vivek Potdar EFY. Thanks for the feedback! when the temperature goes beyond a threshold value? Aishwarya Kagalkar Through email The author Citharthan D. replies: It is only possible to receive a tweet. For tutorial and examples, please refer to the following link: https://thingspeak.com/pages/how_to#act If you need to get an SMS or email, try Ubidots. You can get step-by-step information on their website, https:// ubidots.com/

SMART WI-FI I got my Smart Wi-Fi module that was (NodeMCU) used in ‘Introduction To Smart Wi-Fi’ DIY article published in March 2016 issue. After interfacing the module with ESPlorer software, I set the baud rate to 115200 and port as COM3. I clicked on Open, but it is not connecting to the microcontroller. When I press Reset on the module, it shows the message “Your firmware was not auto detected.” When I connect the module to the PC and upload Lua script, it shows errors on every line. I

pressed Reset and Flash buttons on the module but nothing happened. Do I need to update firmware? I am a beginner to NodeMCU module. Please help. Ramji Vadivelu Through email The author T. Anand replies: The default baud rate is 9600. The connection problem is caused by some of the settings in ESPlorer IDE. Uncheck Autodetect Firmware and check on Dumb Mode - Never Check Answers. There are plenty of resources available online for using Lua with NodeMCU firmware and ESP8266. Here is the link for library files on GitHub: https://github.com/knewrontechnologies/smartWIFI Readme file is also part of GitHub page: https://github.com/knewrontechnologies/smartWIFI/blob/master/ readme.txt

EARTHQUAKE INDICATOR The ‘Earthquake Indicator Using Arduino’ DIY article published in January 2016 issue does not work. Neither the LCD displays anything nor the beeping stops. After compiling the code it shows the following error message: “EarthQuake.ino:2:28: fatal error: EEPROMAnything.h: No such file or directory….compilation terminated. Error compiling.” The library file has been added but still there is an error when the program is compiled. Vaibhav Through email The author Ronie Adhiraaj Ghosh replies: EEPROMAnything.h is a separate library provided with the source code. Before building the circuit you need to go through the text in the article properly. Copy the header file in Arduino library and then compile it again. www.EFYmAg.com

Q&A

Things You WanTed To KnoW!

Ques. What is the difference betWeen bLUetOOth 2.x and bLUetOOth 4.x?

The newer version has improved upon power consumption, data rate, security, pairing reliability, ease and speed, among others.

processor as a guide, the haptic driver sends current, which rapidly changes in strength to one of two types of haptic actuators/motors, causing vibrations.

Q2. hOW dO smartphOnes get vibratiOns?

Q3. hOW dOes a transistOr WOrK in the WOrLd Of eLectrOnics?

a. bansal

ans. Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices and building personal area networks. It uses short-wavelength UHF radio waves in the industrial, scientific and medical radio (ISM) band from 2.4 to 2.485GHz. Bluetooth can connect several devices, overcoming the problems of synchronisation. Over the years, various versions of Bluetooth have been evolving since it was conceived in 1994. This includes Bluetooth 2.x (for example, v2.0, v2.1, v3.0, v4.0) and Bluetooth 4.x (for example, v4.0, v4.1, v4.2). Various Bluetooth versions have different speeds and data rate requirements. Some specific optional features and differences between Bluetooth 2.x and 4.x are explained below. Bluetooth 2.x. This version introduces the optional enhanced data rate (EDR) capability. The most popular variant, Bluetooth 2.1, makes it easier to pair with different devices, even from different manufacturers, and also increases the reliability of the pairing process. Bluetooth 2.x devices with basic rate (basic rate supports a bit rate of 1Mbps) plus EDR have a theoretical maximum data rate up to 3Mbps. Bluetooth 4.x. This version introduces support for collecting data from very-low-power devices. The main intent of this feature, called Bluetooth Low Energy (also, BLE or LE), is to aggregate data from various sensors like heart rate monitors and thermometers. The commercial name of LE feature is Bluetooth Smart. This version supports basic rate plus three optional features, namely, EDR, high-speed and LE. 10

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

nidhi K. riya t.

a2. We are all familiar with a smartphone’s vibrations, whether it is for alerting Mobile phone flat-coin vibration motor us to a phone call or setting the phone on vibration mode for other applications. Vibrations are caused by a small component like the one shown in the picture. Haptic refers to the sense of touch, which is used to provide feedback to electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets through vibrations. There are two types of motors to set off those vibrations: eccentric rotating motor (ERM) and linear resonant actuator (LRA). Whether the vibrations are simple or sophisticated, the process begins with either a touch or a signal from the software or hardware. An electrical signal from hardware, such as an incoming phone call or the push of a button, goes to a microprocessor dedicated to haptic creations. You can have a library of vibrations for different occasions or you can program these to create a unique touch sensation. The microprocessor decides what type of vibrations are needed, but since it does not have enough power to create the vibrations, it hands over the job to a haptic driver. Drivers might be included in some processors. Using the control signal from the

a3. The most important invention of the 20th century is a transistor switch, whose functions are similar to a wall switch. It lets electricity flow through it or opens to block the current. The difference is that the transistor can be made exceedingly small. Due to its small size, you can make a microprocessor with millions of transistors. A transistor has the ability to turn on and off so rapidly that the number of times it closes or opens is measured in millions of a second. Functions of a transistor include amplification and switching. For example, weak signals coming from a microphone can be strengthened using power amplifying transistor(s), so that it can be heard through a loudspeaker. Without changing the waveform of the input signal, only voltage or current of the signal is amplified. While this is the case of analogue signals, in the case of digital signals used in computers, the transistor plays the role of a switch, changing the state between 0 and 1. Integrated circuits and very-large-scale-integrations are basically collections of transistors. In this electronics age, these small transistor devices are directly or indirectly part of many innovations and scientific wonders. Answers compiled by EFY Lab engineers. Letters and questions for publication may be addressed to Editor, Electronics For You, D-87/1, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi 110020 (e-mail: [email protected]) and should include name and address of the sender www.EFYmAg.com

Tech News Technology UpdaTes

IBM Watson-powered robot Chintu unveiled IBM, in collaboration with Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT), Pune, has introduced Chintu, a cogni-

tive assistant powered by IBM Watson that will assist senior citizens in conducting everyday tasks. Chintu, who is under 61cm (2-feet) tall, was developed after MIT Pune received a grant of one million rupees last year from IBM. Chintu can move his hands and read books to an audience. Vrushali Kulkarni, professor and head of computer engineering department at MIT, Pune, says, “The robot has opened up a new and exciting research avenue for our students. Robotics, machine learning and cognitive computing are interesting and exploring fields of research today, and our students are getting first-hand experience of working in these fields.” Krishnamohan Manmohan, a student at MIT, Pune, adds, “What I like most about Watson is that it can solve real-world problems. These services can Drawing from Watson’s domain knowledge, Chintu assists senior citizens in completing tasks like be used as and when required, reading the newspaper/book, provide mood based entertainment services for song and dance, and and are always accessible.” generate reminders on their daily medication (Image courtesy: IBM India)

Wikipedia bots more like humans than expected Scientists have warned that artificial intelligence systems may behave more like humans than expected. This comes after they found that software robots designed to improve articles on Wikipedia sometimes have online fights over content that can continue for years. Editing bots on Wikipedia undo vandalism, enforce bans, check spelling, create links and import content automatically, whereas other bots (which are non-editing) can mine data, identify data or identify copyright infringements. Researchers from University of Oxford and the Alan Turing Institute in the UK have analysed how much they disrupted Wikipedia, observing how they interacted on 13 different 12

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

language editions over ten years (from 2001 to 2010). They found that bots interacted with one another, whether or not this was by design, and it led to unpredictable consequences. Researchers said the bots are more like humans than you might expect. These appear to behave differently in culturally-distinct online environments. The findings are a warning to those using artificial intelligence for building autonomous vehicles, cyber security systems or managing social media. Although bots are automatons, and do not have the capacity for emotions, bot-to-bot interactions are unpredictable and can act in distinctive ways. www.EFYmAg.com

Tech News

New Wi-Fi system that can provide hundred times faster Internet Scientists at Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands have developed a new wireless Internet based on harmless infrared rays that is hundred times faster than existing Wi-Fi networks and has the capacity to support more devices without getting congested. The new wireless network not only has a huge capacity—more than 40 Gigabits per second—there is no need to share since every device gets its own ray of light. The system is simple and cheap to set up. Wireless data comes from a few central light antennae, for instance, mounted on the ceiling, which can very precisely direct the rays of light supplied by an optical fibre. The antennae contain a pair of gratings that radiate light rays of different wavelengths at different angles (passive diffraction gratings). Changing the light wavelengths also changes the direction of the ray of light. Since a safe infrared wavelength is used that does not reach the vulnerable retina in your eye, this technique is harmless, too.

Researchers devise new hydronium-ion battery A new type of battery developed by scientists at Oregon State University (OSU), USA, shows promise for sustain-

from alternative energy sources such as wind turbines or solar cells, for use on a standby or emergency basis. Hydronium, also known as H3O+, is a positivelycharged ion produced when a proton is added to a water molecule. Researchers at OSU College of Science have demonstrated that hydronium ions can be reversibly stored in an electrode material consisting of perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydridem, or PTCDA. This material is an organic, crystalline, molecular solid. The battery, created in Department of Chemistry at OSU, uses dilute sulfuric acid as the electrolyte.

Lip-reading AI to aid those with hearing loss Scientists at Oxford University in the UK, in collaboration with the company DeepMind, have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) program that can lip-read more accurately than people—an advance that will help those who suffer from hearing loss. The Watch, Attend and Spell (WAS) software system uses computer vision and machine learning methods to learn how to lip-read from a dataset made up of more than 5000 hours of TV footage, gathered from six different programmes. The researchers compared the ability of the machine and a human expert to work out what was being said in the silent video. They found that the software was more accurate as compared to the professional. The human correctly read 12 per cent of words, while the software recognised 50 per cent of the words in the dataset, without error.

Brain-reading tech allows talking to paralysed victims

New hydronium-ion battery presents opportunity for more sustainable energy storage (Image courtesy: http://oregonstate.edu)

able, high-power energy storage. It is the world’s first battery to use only hydronium ions as the charge carrier. The battery provides an additional option for researchers, particularly in the area of stationary storage. Stationary storage refers to batteries in a permanent location that store grid power, including power generated 14

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

A brain-computer interface has been used in Switzerland to read thoughts and conduct basic communication with locked-in patients, who have absolutely no control over their body. The technology detects brain activity of the patients, who have not been able to speak for years, enabling them to answer yes-no questions. Accuracy of the system has been reported to be about 75 per cent. Three women and one man, aged 24 to 76, were trained to use the system more than a year after they were diagnosed with completely locked-in syndrome, or CLIS. The condition was brought on by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leaves people totally paralysed but still aware and able to think. www.EFYmAg.com

Tech News According to Niels Birbaumer, a neuroscientist who led the research at University of Tübingen, Germany, “It is the first sign that completely locked-in syndrome may be

FlexDex’s platform technology precisely translates the surgeon’s hand, wrist and arm movements from outside the patient into corresponding movements of an end-effector inside the patient’s body (Image courtesy: http://flexdex.com)

The cap uses infrared light to spot variations in blood flow in different regions of the brain. A computer then learns to distinguish the patterns for yes and no for each patient (Image courtesy: www.wysscenter.ch)

abolished forever, because with all of these patients, we can now ask them the most critical questions in life.” During the sessions, patients wore a cap that uses infrared light to spot variations in blood flow in different regions of the brain. As they answered the questions, a computer hooked up to the cap learned to distinguish the blood flow patterns for yes and no in each patient.

high function and low cost/low function. Our mission is to democratise minimally-invasive surgery and expand its use around the USA and the world.”

Samsung TV that looks like framed art when turned off At Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 early this year, Samsung showcased its concept TV called The Frame, a TV that seamlessly blends into the background and displays

Robotic arm for minimally-invasive surgery In an era of spiralling healthcare cost concerns, a new US$ 500 surgical instrument developed at University of Michigan, USA, is vying to take the place of a US$ 2 million robot for certain minimally-invasive procedures. U-M startup FlexDex Surgical’s first product, a simple, ergonomic and intuitive needle driver for stitching inside the body, has been used for the first time in a series of operations. FlexDex is an all-mechanical platform that mounts to the surgeon’s arm. It uses a unique engineering approach to enable the tip of the instrument to mimic the direction of movement of the surgeon’s hand. Shorya Awtar, associate professor of mechanical engineering, says, “FlexDex provides the functionality of robots at the cost of traditional hand-held laparoscopic instruments. We have disrupted the paradigm where surgeons and hospitals had to choose between high cost/ 16

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

At CES 2017, Samsung showed off the concept for The Frame, a TV designed to double as a picture frame (Image courtesy: http://www.businessinsider.in)

artwork when not in use to further enhance living room décor. The Frame comes with more than 100 art pieces from ten categories, including landscape, architecture, wildlife, action, drawing and more. The TV also comes with a bunch of customisable accessories including interchangeable bezels and Studio Stand option, in case you do not wish to mount the TV on your wall. www.EFYmAg.com

futuristic

Self-Healing electronicS: On The Way

A Dr S.S. Verma is a professor at Department of Physics, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Sangrur, Punjab

s electronic devices are evolving to perform more sophisticated tasks, manufacturers are packing as much density onto a chip as possible. However, such density causes reliability problems such as failure stemming from fluctuating temperature cycles as the device operates or fatigues. A failure at any point in the circuit can shut down the whole device. However, there is only so much you can do to manually repair a modern sophisticated electronic device, as sometimes you cannot even get to the insides of such a device. For example, in a multilayered integrated circuit, there is no way to open it up. Normally, you would just replace the whole chip. This is true for a battery, too. You cannot pull a battery apart to try to find the source of the failure. Most consumer devices are meant to be replaced with some frequency, adding to electronic waste issues, but in many important applications such as instruments or vehicles for space or military functions, electrical failures cannot be replaced or repaired. Breaking of materials with minor or major faults in electronic devices leads to their malfunctioning. These material faults can be rectified by an expert technician on the job, but this would lead to a vicious circle of exploitation and might eventually force you to discard the faulty electronic device prematurely. When one tiny circuit within

an integrated chip cracks or fails, the whole chip or the whole device is a loss. But what if it could fix itself, and fix itself so fast that you never even know there was a problem? Electronic materials have been a major stumbling block in the advancement of flexible electronics because existing materials do not function well after breaking and re-making. Electronic devices are subjected to mechanical deformation over time, which could destroy or break these. Self-healing materials are a class of smart materials that have the structurally-incorporated ability to repair the damage caused by mechanical usage over time. The inspiration comes from biological systems, which have the ability to heal after being wounded. A team of engineers has developed a self-healing system that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit in less time than it takes to blink. Rather than having to build in redundancies or a sensory diagnostics system, this material is designed to take care of the problem itself.

Electronics requirements from self-healing materials Self-healable materials are those that, after withstanding physical deformation such as being cut in half, naturally repair themselves with little to no external influence. The new electronic material created, however, can heal all its functions automatically even after

Researchers have developed a flexible electronic material that self-heals to restore many functions, even after multiple breaks. Here, the material is shown being cut in half. The healed material is still able to stretch and hold weight (Image courtesy: Qing Wang/Penn State)

18

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

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futuristic breaking multiple times. This material could improve the durability of not only wearable electronics but all other electronic devices. In the past, researchers have been able to create self-healable materials that can restore one function after breaking, but restoring a suite of functions is critical for creating effective wearable electronics. For example, if a dielectric material retains its electrical resistivity after self-healing and not its thermal conductivity, it could put electronics at the risk of over-heating. This is the first time that a self-healable material has been created that can restore multiple properties over multiple breaks—this could be useful across many applications.

Technology fundamentals Electronic conductivity. Of late, there has been a big research push aimed at developing self-repairing, electricallyconductive materials that can withstand the damage caused by the twisting and deformation of materials. But so far, most of that research has focused on self-repairing electrical conductors. The team previously developed a system for self-healing polymer materials and decided to adapt their technique for conductive systems. It dispersed tiny microcapsules, as small as ten microns in diameter, on top of a gold line functioning as a circuit. As a crack propagated, microcapsules broke open and released the liquid metal contained inside. The liquid metal filled the gap in the circuit, restoring electrical flow. This is one example of taking the microcapsule based healing approach and applying it to a new function. Everything prior to this has been on structural repair. This is on conductivity restoration. It shows that the concept translates to other things as well. A failure interrupts the current for mere microseconds as liquid metal immediately fills the crack. The researchers demonstrated that 90 per cent of their samples healed to 99 per cent of original conductivity, 20

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

even with a small amount of microcapsules. The self-healing system also has the advantages of being localised and autonomous. Only microcapsules that a crack intercepts are opened, so repair only takes place at the point of damage. Further, it requires no human intervention or diagnostics—a boon for applications where accessing a break for repair is impossible, such as a battery, or finding the source of a failure is difficult, such as an aircraft or a spacecraft. Next, the researchers plan to further refine their system and explore other possibilities for using microcapsules to control conductivity. They are particularly interested in applying the microcapsule based self-healing system to batteries, improving their safety and longevity. Thermal and electronic conductivity. Most research into self-healable electronic materials has focused on electrical conductivity but dielectrics have been overlooked. There is need for conducting elements in circuits, but also for insulation and protection for microelectronics. Researchers have looked at developing a self-healing dielectric material. Dielectrics are just as important as conductors as these provide electronic insulation and packaging. The material that a research team has created restores all properties needed for use as a dielectric in wearable electronics—mechanical strength, breakdown strength to protect against surges, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity and dielectric, or insulating, properties. Most self-healable materials are soft or gum-like, according to the team, but this material created is very tough in comparison. The team has added boron-nitride nanosheets to a base material of plastic polymer. Like graphene, boron-nitride nanosheets are two-dimensional, but instead of conducting electricity like graphene, these resist and insulate against it. The material can self-heal because boron-nitride nanosheets

connect with hydrogen-bonding groups functionalised onto their surface. When two pieces are placed in close proximity, electrostatic attraction naturally occurring between both bonding elements draws the two pieces close together. When the hydrogen bond is restored, the two pieces are healed. Depending on the percentage of boron-nitride nanosheets added to the polymer, self-healing may require additional heat or pressure. But some forms of the new material can self-heal at room temperature when placed next to each other. Unlike other healable materials that use hydrogen bonds, boronnitride nanosheets are impermeable to moisture. This means that devices using this dielectric material can operate effectively within high humidity contexts such as in a shower or at a beach.

Conclusion In the last 50 years, electronics has grown from vacuum tubes to discrete transistors to micro-chips with thousands of transistors together in an area the size of the head of a pin. The trend for ever smaller electronic devices continues even today. As electronic devices grow ever more intricate, so must the tools required to fix these! Electronic circuits are very sophisticated these days, but a crack, even an extremely small one, can interrupt the flow of current and eventually lead to the failure of a device. Traditional devices can be fixed with soldering, but repairing advanced electronic devices requires innovation. Replacing whole devices or even parts can be tricky or expensive, particularly if these are integrated in clothes or located in remote places. Creating devices that can fix themselves would be ideal. Anticipating this challenge, scientists have turned to the body’s immune system for inspiration and are now building self-healing electronic materials that would restore all their functions after a material breaks. These self-healing electronic materials can seek out and repair faults in electronic systems. www.EFYmAg.com

pollution

A Filterless Design For Air-Pollution Control

T

his article takes a look at the causes, effects and control of air pollution in the urban environment. It also introduces easy-toconstruct home and commercial airpurifier systems to effectively control air pollution, and release clean and safe-tobreathe air back into the environment. Air pollution contains one or more contaminants like dust, harmful gases, smoke, pollen and other allergens. Normal composition of air is: Nitrogen - 78% - 21% Oxygen Argon - 0.9%

J.M. Thapar is post graduate from IIT Delhi and has more than 40 years of R&D experience and more than 35 years of entrepreneurial experience. He is currently working towards improving the air quality and ground water harvesting techniques

- 0.037% Carbon-dioxide Ozone, helium and ammonia - Traces Water vapour - Balance Table I indicates the mix of pollutant gasses released from petrol and diesel based vehicles. Table II summarises the source of major pollutants and their impact on the health of human beings. We now introduce you to system designs for easy-to-construct air purifiers for home and commercial uses. (Note: A prototype of the air purifier for home use has already been tested successfully by the author.)

Air-purifier system for home and industrial use

Table I

PolluTanTs from varIous vehIcles Gases

carbon monoxide

hydrocarbons

oxides of nitrogen

Particulate matter

carbondioxide

Petrol car without catalytic converter

100

100

100

—

100

Petrol car with catalytic converter

42

19

23

—

100

Diesel car without catalytic converter

2

3

31

100

85

*100 is taken as reference value for comparison

Commercially, a large number of air purifiers are available for domestic use, but are quite expensive. You can make a simple air purifier for domestic use using easily available materials from the market. The same can be customised for use in hazardous industries as well, to improve the working conditions and health of the

Table II

PolluTanT sources and healTh effecTs source

causes/sources

health effects

Carbon monoxide. It is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas that is poisonous to hemoglobic animals including human beings. It is formed by incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels.

Sources of carbon monoxide include cigarette smoke and incomplete combustion of fossil fuels (more than 77 per cent comes from motor vehicle exhaust).

Reduced ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen to body cells and tissues, which leads to headaches and anaemia. At high levels, it can cause coma, irreversible brain damage and even death.

Nitrogen dioxide. It is a reddish-brown gas that has a It is caused by burning fossil fuels in characteristic sharp biting odour and is a prominent air industries and power plants. pollutant in the atmosphere. It gets converted into nitric acid (HNO3) when it comes in contact with water vapours.

Lung irritation and damage. Environmental effects involve acid deposition leading to damage of trees, lakes, soil and ancient monuments.

Sulphur dioxide. It is a toxic gas with a pungent, irritating smell.

Irritates the nose, throat and airways, and causes It is formed by combustion of sulphurcoughing, wheezing, shortening of breath and tightencontaining fossil fuels such as coal and oil. In the atmosphere it is converted into ing around the chest. sulphuric acid.

Photochemical smog. It is a brownish smoke that frequently forms on clear, sunny days over large cities with significant amounts of automobile traffic.

Breathing problems, cough, eye, nose and throat irritaIt is caused mainly due to chemical tion, heart diseases, reduced resistance to colds and reactions among nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons in the presence of sunlight. pneumonia. Environmental effects involve damage to plants and trees. Additionally, smog reduces visibility.

Suspended particulate matter. This contains a variety of These are produced by burning of coal particles and droplets (aerosols) that can be suspended in in power plants and industries. Also produced by diesel vehicles. the atmosphere for short to long periods of time.

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Nose and throat irritation, lung damage, bronchitis, asthma, reproductive problems and cancer. www.EFYmAg.com

pollution 15.2cm (6-inch) Plastic Bend

Air-purifier system for roads

F a n

Support Plate

A commercial version of such a system for use in the open is illustrated in Fig. 2. Polluted air is thrown by high-pressure blower A into tank B that is full of water, Support Plate as shown in Fig 2. This air leaves most suspended partiPlastic Water cles in the water, which settle Trey down with time in dust tank Holes in the Plastic Bend C. Normally, lever L1 is open and lever L2 is closed. (a) Side View (b) Front View Water-soluble toxic gases Fig. 1: Air-purifier system: (a) side view, (b) front view like NOx, SO2 and NH3 get dissolved in water. Due to sucking of air from road, most negative Ion Catalytic Fresh air D particles of 2.5 and 10 microns move Generator Converter from the road into this system. E Submersible pump F is used to fill water in the tank whenever required. Purified air is passed to chamber Water Tank High D that is fitted with a negative-ion Pressure Polluted B Blower air generator. This clears the air of remaining dust particles, if any, a including pollens, pet dander, mold, spores, germs and other allergens. Air is forwarded to catalytic converter chamber E. This removes L1 gases like carbon monoxide and C nitrogen oxide. Air coming out of this system is thus reasonably pure. When chamber C gets filled with L2 dust, lever L1 is closed and lever L2 is opened to remove the dust into Dust Exit Submersible F a dustbin. Pump Key benefits. Major benefits of such an air purifier are: Fig. 2: Commercial version of the air-purifier system 1. Gives clean air using a highly-effective system that progressively particulate matter and dissolves industrial labour. reduces suspended particles water-soluble gases. Bubbles comAn air-purifier system can be and gaseous pollutants from the ing out of the water contain fresh made using a 15.2cm (6-inch) fan vicinity air. This air can be passed through from Rexnord. As shown in Fig. 2. Gives pure air using a system for a negative-ion generator. Negative 1, the fan is fitted on one side of the removal of germs, pollens ions clear the air of dust, pollens, a plastic bend with 15.2cm (6and allergens pet dander, mold spores and other inch) dia that is normally used for 3. By-products can be utilised for potential allergens. It can also sigsanitary work. The other end of the other commercial uses nificantly decrease airborne viruses bend is covered with a plate having 4. Easy to construct using commerand bacteria. holes and is kept submerged in a cially-available components A negative-ion generator is plastic tray filled with water. 5. Low-maintenance system having easily available from online sites On switching on the fan the sysa filterless design like Amazon. tem clears the air of all suspended 24

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

www.EFYmAg.com

automation

Everything You May Like To Know About Infrared Water Faucets

I T.K. Hareendran is founder and promoter of TechNode Protolabz

Fig. 1: IR water faucet

nfrared (IR) water faucets (touch-free faucets) look modernistic, and can significantly increase the style level in a luxurious bathroom. Nowadays, IR water faucets are widely used in hospitals and in other areas with industrial or public sanitary installations because traditional water faucets can collect bacteria and viruses, as these are constantly being touched by many different people. Further, IR water faucets are a proven solution to save water.

System overview Although it looks like a sleek accessory in a stylish bathroom, there is a lot happening under the sink with an IR water faucet. In principle, an IR water faucet combines four key components: IR sensor module, solenoid valve, control box and power source. IR sensor module. An IR sensor module is usually visible and looks like a small lens on the front of the faucet. The sensor module (covered by a plastic IR sensor shell) holds one transmitter component and one receiver component. The transmitter (usually an IR LED) continuously emits invisible light to scan whether there is an object in front of the water faucet. If a hand, for instance, enters within the range, it reflects the transmitted IR light. The receiver (usually a photodiode or phototransistor) recognises this and opens the solenoid valve with the help of

associated controller electronics. In short, if the sensor feels the presence of an object in front of the tap, it actuates the solenoid valve to initiate the flow of water. When the object is no longer present, it deactivates the solenoid valve to terminate the water flow, usually after a few seconds. Solenoid valve. A solenoid valve physically starts and stops the water flow by transforming electrical energy into motion. A standard solenoid valve allows water flow when DC supply holds a plunger at its open position. In the absence of DC supply, the plunger returns to its initial (closed) position to prevent the flow of water. Note that, pulse-type (latching-type) solenoid valves are also used in today’s IR faucets. Here, the solenoid valve is initially pulsed to start the water flow (plunger is driven into the vicinity of a permanent magnet, which, in turn, holds the plunger in open position). In order to return the plunger to its closed position, the solenoid valve is once again pulsed, but this time with a reverse-polarity signal. Control box. A control box is like a control hub that sits or is mounted underneath the sink as part of a typical IR water faucet installation process. The control box is a rigid, water-proof enclosure that accommodates almost all requisite components/parts (except IR sensor module) like solenoid valve, electronic control circuitry and power source. Most control hubs can be powered by built-in battery packs or by mains via external AC-DC power adaptors.

Overview breakdown

Fig. 2: IR sensor module

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Fig. 3: Solenoid valve

Fig. 4: Control box

IR water faucets are created by combining the four key components. Although there are variations, key components, each with a distinct function, once comwww.EFYmAg.com

automation Tap

Set screw Plugnut

Water out

Coil Spring Breaker piece Control box

IR sensor module

Water in

Sensor cable

Flexible hose

1. Object/hand 2. IR sensor range 3. IR sensor module 4. Sensor cable

AC-DC adaptor 5. Solenoid valve 6. Water inlet 7. Flexible hose 8. Water outlet

Fig. 5: Typical setup of an IR water faucet

Pole-piece Spring Coil Plunger Diaphragm Valve body

Fig. 6: Structure of a solenoid valve

bined, constitute an IR water faucet. Here is an overview breakdown of the components: 1. IR water faucets employ presence sensors (not motion sensors) to sense the presence of an object in front of the faucet. These employ active IR technology that senses pres28

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Tube

Core

Fig. 7: Parts of a proportional solenoid valve

ence, and not movement, of objects. Active IR technology, like the name implies, actively emits IR light and actively waits for this light to come back to it. 2. Based on sensor feedback, the electronic control circuitry commands the solenoid valve to start/ stop the flow of water. 3. Faucets powered by AC transformers utilise standard solenoid valves. Such solenoid valves require constant energy to hold the plunger in place, and when e-energised, the plunger naturally returns to its normal closed position with the help of a biasing spring. On the other hand, faucets powered by batteries employ another type of solenoid valve called pulse or latching solenoid valve. These solenoid valves operate at low voltage, usually 6V DC, with some solenoids operating at 9V DC. The reason these solenoids are called latching type is that, as the solenoid is initially energised to start the water flow, the plunger is driven into the range of a permanent magnet, which, in turn, holds the plunger in open position. This initial energising of the solenoid is called pulsing and takes place within a

fraction of a second. In order to return the plunger to its original closed position, the solenoid is once again pulsed, but this time by reversing polarity. This complex operation, however, can conserve battery power. 4. The solenoid valve physically controls the start and stop of the water flow through the faucet spout. The solenoid valve is, in fact, a perfect blend of two hybrid technologies—electromagnetism (solenoid) and fluid dynamics (diaphram valve). A solenoid is an electrical component that transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy—motion. When energised, it creates a magnetic field that exerts a linear force on an object called plunger. The basic premise behind the diaphragm valve is to control the flow of a large volume of water with a smaller, more manageable water volume. In order to open the diaphragm valve, there is need to release the pressure that is pinning the diaphragm against the valve seat—this is the job of the solenoid valve. The plunger, which is driven by the solenoid, is yet another miniature water valve whose sole mission is to open and release the pressure that is pinning the diaphragm against the valve seat. It closes and allows the pressure supplied through a very small diameter hole to build up behind the diaphragm, pinning the diaphragm back against the valve seat. 5. Proportional solenoid valves are a newcomer in the solenoid valve family. Most solenoid valves work on an on/off basis, and are either www.EFYmAg.com

automation

Fig. 8: Fibre-optic sensor capsule

fully-open or fully-closed. Proportional solenoid valves, however, operate with a proportional action. By varying the electrical input to a proportional valve, the flow of water through the valve can be continuously and steplessly adjusted between zero and 100 per cent of the maximum rated flow. In order to obtain the proportional action, the solenoid operator is modified. Proportional solenoid valves operate on the principle that the pull force produced by an electromagnetic coil increases as coil current (Is) is increased, while, likewise, the counter-acting spring force increases when the top spring is compressed. (a) If the current is less than Io*, preset tension of spring Fs is greater than electromagnetic pull force Fm and the valve remains closed. (b) If current increases to above Io, Fm is greater than Fs and the core starts to move. Movement of the core compresses the spring, causing Fs to increase. This continues until the new values of Fs and Fm are once again in balance. The process continues so that at any value of I, the core moves into a position where Fs and Fm are balanced. Specific parts of a proportional solenoid valve are shown in Fig. 7. [*A proportional solenoid valve can be made to open or close infinitely by regulating the current (Is) flowing through the solenoid coil. Coil current (Is) is mainly regulated by regulating the voltage (Us) across the coil. Voltage across the coil can 30

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

be derived from various supplies, for example, a straight DC supply or a pulse-width modulated supply. In order to maintain the valve in a specific position, coil current (Is) should be kept substantially independent of changes in the coilwinding resistance due to temperature variations (caused by power input and ambient temperature) typically between 100mA (Io) and 500mA (Imax).] 6. Both the sensor/controller electronics as well as the solenoid valve require a power source. Often, standard battery packs are used as the power source. Commonly-used batteries are C, AA, 6V and 9V lithium batteries. Even so, automatic faucets using an AC transformer as the power source are relatively cheaper than their batterypowered counterparts. 7. Most IR faucet spouts (for water delivery) are designed to house the IR sensor module within these, or fibre-optic sensor capsule to carry the IR signal from the sensor to the spout. Some trendy spouts house the whole sensor, control electronics, solenoid valve and the AC/DC power supply unit within these. IR water faucets reflect a great combination of innovative design and advanced technology. There are many models in modern designs that go well with other modern accessories and fittings for bathrooms. Like all traditional faucets, you can get IR water faucets in multiple designs and materials. Generally, IR water faucets are easy to care for and need little maintenance. If you use a type with batteries, you will need to change these when these run out of power. Electronic components can fail in rare cases, but you can simply replace the whole electronic assembly at once, if required. Apart from some little issues that might come up every few years, if these do at all, IR water faucets should not require any further maintenance. www.EFYmAg.com

hands-on

Ten Problems You Can solve With A mulTimeTer

W

e live in a pool of electronic instruments and gadgets that we use extensively in our daily lives. In case of minor issues with these instruments, you do not have to be an electronics expert or call an electrician to resolve it. With a simple multimeter, you can be an expert yourself. Multimeters, also known as dailylife meters, are excellent tools that can measure current, voltage and resistance. With the values of these three parameters in hand, most electrical problems can be easily fixed. These multimeters can be used for continuity and diode checks, which helps in solving many issues. Overall, these are simple tools but save a lot of money and time, and make work a lot easier. In the USA, electrical outlets provide 110 volts, and heavy-duty appliance circuits (electric stoves, clothes dryers, etc) use 230 volts. In many other parts of the world, including India, standard voltage for household electrical systems is 230 to 240 volts. Let us take a look at ten problems that can be easily solved using a multimeter.

Ankita K.S. is an engineering graduate and a volunteer with IEEE. She is currently based at EFY, Bengaluru, where she writes articles on engineering and technology

When you are doubtful about an electrical outlet A multimeter can check power output from an outlet. All you have to do is set the meter to 400V AC, place the probes at the combinations given in Table I and check for the respective readings. Ground/Earth

Table I

CheCkIng an eleCTrICal ouTleT Neutral

Live

Fig. 1: Checking an electrical outlet

32

Probe 1

Probe 2

output voltage

Hot

Neutral

230V

Hot

Ground

230V

Neutral

Ground

Zero

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Fig. 2: Checking a car battery

Table II

CheCkIng a Car baTTery Voltage readings

State of charge

12.6V

100 per cent

12.45V

75 per cent

12.24V

50 per cent

12.06V

25 per cent

11.89V

Zero per cent

Note. These readings are at 80°F. Battery voltage readings will drop with temperature, roughly 0.01 volts for every 10°F

When your car is too lazy to start In the morning, when you start your car, sometimes the motor runs too slow or does not start at all. The first thing you should check is the car battery. The easiest thing that you can do at that moment is pick up a multimeter, set it to 15V DC or more. Then, turn the car lights and ignition off, and touch the meter probes on the terminal posts of the car battery. The readings will be as given in Table II. If your battery voltage is less than 12.45 volts (75 per cent charged), it is low and should be recharged.

Lot of batteries lying around, but which one is still alive You can test common household dry-cell batteries with a multimeter. For this, the selector should be set for proper range on DC scale. Household batteries like AA and www.EFYmAg.com

hands-on AAA are rated at 1.5 volts, so select a four-volt range on the DC scale for such batteries. For testing a ninevolt battery, move the selector to 40-volt range. Touch each end of the battery with a probe. If red and black wires are reversed, a minus (-) sign will appear in front of the numbers. A 1.5-volt battery is dead if it registers one volt or less. If a device does not work but the 1.5-volt battery registers, for example, 1.38 volts, then the issue is with the device. A ninevolt battery is dead when it fails to read above 7.5 to eight volts.

When lamps leave you in the dark There are two possibilities if a bulb does not glow; either the light bulb has burnt out or there is a problem with the lamp. This can be clarified by using a multimeter. First, set the multimeter to measure resistance in ohms. If there is more than one resistance setting, choose the most sensitive one. Set the meter to 400-volt AC selection. Touch one probe to the side of the bulb socket, and the other to the tip at the bottom of the socket. The meter should read about 230 volts. Sometimes, expected voltage in the bulb socket and the bulb is good, but the lamp still does not light up. In that case, the problem is with the socket. Note. This test will work only for an incandescent light bulb.

To check the fuse From household gadgets to automobiles almost all electronic instruments use fuses. If such devices are not working, first thing to do is to check the fuse. To do so, turn off the device, disconnect the power and remove the fuse. Set the multimeter to CONT. (continuity) and do the continuity test by putting the positive and negative leads on either side of the fuse and check the reading. If the meter beeps there is continuity 34

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

To fix laptops

Fig. 3: Checking a fuse

Fig. 4: Checking the capacitor

and the fuse is alright, but if there is no sound, it means the fuse has gone bad.

When the air-conditioner quits the job It might be during the worst weather conditions that your air-conditioner fails to work. Some multimeter tips and tricks could help you find out what actually went wrong, whether you can fix it yourself or you need to call an electrician. Initial checks. There is a set of circuit breakers in your main electrical panel. Check to see if the circuit breaker switch has moved to off position due to a sudden overload. If it is still in on position and yet the air-conditioner is not working, shut off all power to the air-conditioner. Check the fuses for continuity. If the fuses are fine, discharge the airconditioner’s condenser (capacitor) by putting the metal tip of a screwdriver between the two terminals. Checking the condenser. Disconnect the wires of the condenser and set your multimeter to read ohms or resistance. Place the black lead in the hole marked com, and the red lead into the hole that says cap or has ohms icon by it. Place one lead on each of the condenser’s terminals and check the reading you get. This reading should be within six per cent of your particular capacitor’s rating. If it is not, your capacitor is faulty and must be replaced.

Power supply is a critical component in your computer, and when this begins to fail, your computer may switch off unexpectedly, experience start-up warnings or over-heat. Several simple checks with a digital multimeter can uncover some of the warning signs of the impending hardware failure. Precautions. Unplug your computer and disconnect all cables connected to it. If your unit is equipped with a power switch, turn the power supply off. Place your computer on an anti-static mat. Remove the outer casing and unplug all power connectors. See the sticker on the power supply and check voltage information. Checking the power supply. Turn the power supply on and switch your multimeter to the range that is appropriate for reading the voltage from your power supply. Locate the largest group of wires coming out of the power supply. Connect the multimeter’s negative (black) probe to the ground-wired pin, which will be black in colour. Connect the positive (red) probe to the power line, which will be green in colour. Record the voltage that appears on your multimeter. If your power supply sticker shows a voltage of 135 volts, you should be seeing the same reading on the multimeter. If you see a much lower or higher reading, your power supply has malfunctioned and needs to be replaced.

Differentiate a hot and neutral wire Use a pair of protective rubber gloves while doing this test. You may accidentally touch a hot wire and get an electric shock. Set your multimeter to measure voltage. Place the multimeter’s red probe on the bare metal on the end of one of the wires. The positive probe on a multimeter is red, and the negative one is black. Place the probe of the multimeter’s black wire on the bare metal on the www.EFYmAg.com

hands-on end of the wire, then read the meter. If you get a reading, the black wire is hot; if you do not, the black wire is not. Repeat the test on the other black wire to test if it is hot or not.

When washing machines cease working The first thing to check is the motor. For this, disconnect the washing machine from its electrical socket, and disassemble the shell. Locate the two wire leads that connect to the motor housing, and remove these by unplugging from the motor. Turn the dial on your multimeter or select the appropriate button for testing resistance. Place one probe of your multimeter onto each of the metal tabs on the motor that were exposed by unplugging the wires. The multimeter should show zero or a very low number. If it does, motor coils are functional. If it shows a high num-

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ber or shows infinite, it indicates the motor is defective. Remove one probe from the electrical terminal and place it on the shell of the motor to test the ground. If the meter reflects anything other than zero, this means that the motor is not grounded properly. Once you complete this test, reverse the probes on the motor and test the other lug on the electrical terminal.

Trouble with the water heater Checking your water heater power is the first thing you should do if you have a problem with your electric hot-water heater. Most residential electric water heaters use 230 volts, but it is better to confirm the voltage rating on the label. Shut down all circuit breakers before removing the access panels. Check if the reset button has tripped off; if so, simply resetting it should

restore normal functioning of your water heater. Checking the power supply. Set the water heater’s thermostat to its highest temperature setting. Turn the power supply to the water heater back on. Turn on the multimeter and set it to voltage-measuring mode. Connect the two probes of the multimeter to the two wires above the reset button. Reading on the voltmeter should be around 230 volts. If the voltage reads close to zero, then there is a problem with the power supply to the water heater. If the voltage reads around 230 volts, then the power supply is fine and you will have to check the thermostat. Now that you are set to be a DIY technician, we hope that you make good use of your new-found skills. Please be careful, though. You are dealing with a huge amount of electricity, so take extra care while dealing with high-power devices.

www.EFYmAg.com

virtual

Augmented ReAlity: How Real Is The Interaction

N

ot many people were aware of the concept of augmented reality until Pokémon Go came in to the picture. This game has been taking the world by storm. Augmented reality uses techniques to expand the real world outside your imagination. Many Android and iOS apps are now being designed using the principle of augmented reality. Augmented Reality is an absolute or composite view of the physical or real environment superimposed with virtual elements that have been enhanced by computer-generated sensory input like sound, video, graphics and GPS. You can digitally manipulate the information about your surroundings in real time using the phenomenal augmented reality technology. Key characteristics of augmented reality are: 1. Overlapping of real and digital worlds

Meghraj Singh Beniwal is B.Tech in electronics and communication, currently working as automation engineer at Infosys, Pune. He is a freelance writer and an Android app developer

2. Registration and alignment in 3D 3. Real-time interaction Augmented reality is already being used in many areas, some of which are: Virtual dressing rooms. This is an augmented reality based dressing room application, where you can select your favourite clothes and accessories virtually without buying or even trying these on physically. In military camps. In combat, augmented reality can serve as a networked technology for the communication system that assimilates useful battlefield data onto a soldier’s goggles in real time. From the soldier’s view, people and various objects can be marked with special indicators to warn of potential dangers. The map evokes the layers of the indicated trajectories for various objects in geographic coordinates. It supports telescope operators in identifying satellites and cataloguing potentially-dangerous Space debris.

Real Environment

Augmented Reality

Display Devices

Head Mounted Display (HMD) Smartphone Screen Eyeglass

Hardware

Processor

StudioMax Cinema4D AutoCAD 3D

Server

Web Server Cloud Server

Overlay of Real and Digital World

Augmented Reality Registration and Alignment in 3D

Create Virtual Objects

AR Browser AR Application

2. Request Virtual Objects

3. Send Virtual Objects

Real-Time Interaction

Fig. 2: Characteristics of augmented reality

38

1. Send Real Contents

4. Send

Software

Camera GPS Gyroscope Accelerometer

Augmented Content

Input Devices Virtual Object

Fig. 1: Concept of augmented reality

5. Display Augmented Content

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Fig. 3: Components of augmented reality www.EFYmAg.com

virtual The system combines geographic data including street names, points of interest, railroads and airports with live video from the camera system. The system offers images in picture mode that allow it to evoke a general view of the arena that is surrounding the camera’s field-of-view. Alive app by Times of India. Alive is an augmented reality based application used to view extensive content like animation, video and photo shoots. You can scan a printed image in newspapers, brochures, pamphlets or magazines, and the app recognises images, logos, location, QR codes and objects in real time.

Fig. 4: Marker based augmented reality application

How augmented reality works This technology works on the basis of two types of approaches: marker based and location based. Marker based augmented reality. The QR code system is one of the most common methods of marker based augmented reality. It consists of black squares arranged in a square grid on a white background, which can be easily read by an imaging device such as a camera. For this to work, you need a smartphone that has a marker based augmented reality application like QR Code that can scan a pattern such as a barcode or symbol through the camera of the mobile. The software recognises the pattern and superimposes a digital image on your mobile screen, and gives you a 3D or an animated digital image for a better experience as compared to a 2D image. Location based augmented reality. With a smartphone and a location based application system like GPS, you can point 40

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Fig. 5: Location based augmented reality application

Fig. 6: Augmented reality as superimposition

Virtual Image

Projector

Physical Object

Virtual Image Projected on Physical Object

Fig. 7: Augmented reality as projection

the augmented reality based application towards a real scene. GPS software recognises the device location in the application. Based on the recorded location and orientation by the inbuilt sensor of your phone, you can predict the overview data of the relevant location. Digital informative data is matched to the real scene, which is then visible through the device camera. One such application of the location based augmented reality is navigation. It enhances the effectiveness of augmented navigation devices. Information is displayed on the automobile’s windshield and the system indicates the direction and distance of the destination along with weather and terrain conditions, traffic information and potential hazards. Superimposition based augmented reality. In this case, the augmented view is superimposed on the real view of an object. Augmented view is either the scanned image of the real object or the internal view of the object. Applications of this kind of augmented reality are in education, defence, medical and architecture, among others. Projection based augmented reality. With the help of this process, you can project virtual images onto physical objects. This method of having a projection of the virtual image is known as the projection augmented model, or PA model. You can even touch, feel and grasp the virtual image with your hands.

Future scope of augmented reality Some areas where this technology is being developed are films, the retail sector (the technology is closing the gap between online and offline) and computer games. www.EFYmAg.com

virtual The mobile industry is also making use of augmented reality. From smartphones with GPS to wearable technologies, ranging from Google Glass to Apple Watch, this comprehensive application of augmented reality can be expressed with specific apps and microlocation technologies. Already there are many Fig. 8: Augmented reality future projections applications that offer the same basic versions of augmented reality techniques. Other growing applications of augmented reality are in direct training of students in the fields of engineering and medicine, in the military sector where one can get the precise location of the enemy, in works of art, in the teaching sector where it can help Fig. 9: Pokémon Go Gameplay enhance the learning material with interactive apps, and so on. your real-time location. Moderate features include Pokémon gyms Pokémon Go and PokéStops. PokéStops provide you with Pokémon Go, developed by Niantic items such as Poké balls and eggs, for iOS and Android devices, is a and are equipped with items called popular application of augmented lure modules in order to attract wild reality. It is a location based augPokémon; whereas, gyms serve as mented reality game, which makes battle areas for a team based king. use of the GPS system in your Gyms and PokéStops are located smartphone. You basically use the at real places and within access to GPS to locate and capture virtual you. Different Pokémon are present creatures known as Pokémon, which in different locations of the world. appear on the screen in the same When seeking a Pokémon, you location as the player. can appear in a rendered generic The game quickly became a background or in augmented reality global phenomenon across the world mode. The latter uses your phone’s and has already been downloaded by camera and gyroscope to display more than 100 million users. the image of the Pokémon in the Gameplay. After inception of a real world. When you encounter a game account, you, as the player, Pokémon, you have to throw a Poké create an avatar for yourself. The ball at it. avatar uses the map by using 42

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

If you are successful in catching a Pokémon, it will come under your ownership. Success rate of Pokémon capture integrates the type of force, the right time as well as the type of Poké ball. When a wild Pokemon is captured, you are crowned with in-game currencies (stardust and candies). At the same time, candies are awarded after a successful catch that depends on the evolutionary chain of a Pokémon. You can also use candies or stardust to raise the Pokémon’s combat power. Every single Pokémon evolution tree is surrounded by its own candy, which is important in order to level up. You are free to transfer the Pokémon back to Pokémon professor, who could help you earn another candy and create extra room for more Pokémon. Combat power of Pokémon is a rough measure of the show of power that a Pokémon will give in battle. Also, Pokémon of similar species possess the same combat power. You can go up a level in the game by gaining more points. In level five, a Pokémon gym is open for you and you can join any one of the three coloured teams. When you enter a Pokémon gym, the entire battle is controlled by a player who is not part of your team, offering the challenge to lower the prestige of the gym. Consequently, when the prestige is brought down to zero level, you get the control of the gym. Then, you can deposit one Pokémon in order to defend yourself. www.EFYmAg.com

tech focus

Virtual reality now moVing Towards Real-Life Scenarios

V Saurabh Durgapal is working as technology journalist at EFY

irtual reality (VR) allows experiences from a very different perspective than we are used to. According to a user, “You come to a place that is controllable and not defined by so many unknowns.” Molly Fosco, in an article published on www.summit.com, explains her experience of summiting Everest as, “It is an immersive VR experience that makes you feel like you are actually climbing the highest mountain in the world.” The capability to transform your surroundings just by putting on a pair of goggles and headphones to escape into the new surroundings has seen a lot of changes over the past couple of years. God at the top of the world. Available for Oculus Rift and Touch and HTC Vive,

Augmented reality in Pokemon Go

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April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Everest VR simulation is an immersive VR experience that has an intriguing feature added recently. The God mode allowed Fosco to shrink or grow to any size and to teleport to other spots in the mountain range. It is almost funny how, in a Godcreated world, man has created a world away from this world. However, being God comes with its own set of rules.

VR affecting health As per a Google DayDream tester, the experience starts to get on your nerves after the initial half an hour. Sore eyes, tiredness, headaches, stiff necks and eye strain are some known side effects among long-term VR headset users. Taking this into consideration, an easily-ignored warning comes with the headset, which advises you to take a 10- to 15-minute break after about 30 minutes and not to use the device if there are any mental health issues. But as stated earlier, it is easily ignored. Another common issue is reduction in multi-tasking capabilities post usage, which could lead to increased risk in the real world. Researchers have also found cases of nausea and disorientation caused by the vergence-accommodation conflict. Presented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year, Relief band has turned out to be a quick solution for gamers. The bracelet is worn on the underside of the wrist. It balances the pulses using neuro-modulation to treat motion sickness. These problems might make VR look like a monster. But taken in moderation, it could be a great learning experience for a wide range of fields. A ray of hope. Doctors can move from cadavers to VR, for instance, and engineers could learn the basics of product development by performing in the virtual world. In both cases, there is no harm done, and www.EFYmAg.com

tech focus

Cardboard cutout allows for virtual reality experience through smartphones

beginners can make mistakes without any fear. King’s College Hospital in London is already using VR to make magnetic resonance imaging experience less scary for children. Somewhere down the line, we could move from watching the news to living it via live streaming VR. VR is already advancing rapidly in gaming, and it is only natural to branch out to other fields.

Advancing standards of VR As per reports, Everest VR experience uses more than 30,000 high-resolution photographs and creates a computer-generated 3D imagery model using Stereo photo-grammetry. It involves estimating the 3D coordinates of points on an object and employing measurements made in two or more photographic images taken from different positions. The advertisements about VR do not do any justice to the capabilities of VR. The best way to appreciate is to experience it first hand, no holds barred. At least, the experience of hitting your head on the walls of your room while wearing the VR headset could be something you would remember for a long time. If experiencing a whole different world that you might not be able to visit anytime soon was not incentive enough, VR is expected to help with peaceful sleep as well. Medical device maker Fisher Wallace is all set to improve VR experiences by manipulating chemicals inside the human brain. Kortex, a VR headset accessory for stress management, attaches to the VR headset strap and helps the brain in producing endorphins and serotonin for mood balance. It also helps lower stress hormone Cortisol and increases melatonin production for a good night’s sleep. VR moving towards visual clarity and acuity. 46

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tech focus Ever since the acquisition of Oculus by Facebook, VR has gained the much-needed impetus. Oculus Rift VR device, combined with the touch interface provided in the form of Oculus Touch, provides an experience to look forward to. Oculus Rift is user friendly, and it completely immerses you inside virtual worlds. However, there are still some tracking glitches that need to be taken care of before the virtual world begins to feel like the real world. And the biggest problem of understanding the design of the real room and involving that into the virtual world is something to look out for. This could move more into the domain of augmented reality (AR), which seems to be developing at its own pace.

Aesthetic improvements with AR Vuzix M-100 looks like something straight out of science fiction. Focussed towards enterprise, commercial and medical applications, the device comes with direct onboard processing with a wearable monocular display. A camera in the device captures and displays AR. HoloLens from Microsoft is the first self-contained holographic computer that enables you to engage with your digital content and interact with holograms in the world around you. HoloLens has numerous sensors to capture your actions and the environment. Sensors map the area around you and design the simulation accordingly. The lenses employ a projection system to generate multi-dimensional images. The brain of the device is the holographic processing unit that processes data from sensors and transmits it for projection accordingly. You do not need a separate pair of headphones. K-Glass is a high-performance and ultra-lowpower head-mounted display with a built-in augmented reality processor. It focuses on replicating the brain, while assessing your surroundings using a visual attention modem, which helps in categorising relevant and irrelevant data just like the human brain. It aims at providing relevant information to you. A cited example is of a person

HoloLens from Microsoft www.EFYmAg.com

ElEctronics For You | April 2017

47

tech focus walking by a restaurant and looking through the glasses to check whether the menu is to his liking or not, so that he may decide whether to go in or not. Meta 2 launched by Meta Vision in 2014, enables you to create holographic apps, tools and experiences. According to a tester, “Objects in the field-of-view behave like things in the real world.” Priced at US$ 949, the experience is nothing short of a fantasy. It allows fantasy objects to be lifted and placed in different locations just like moving furniture around the house. You can also experience walking around a globe and seeing it from different angles. Though there seem to be some issues with gesture recognition, this could very well lead the way to some truly interesting experiences in the future. Laster SeeThru, however, takes a different approach. The headset does not have a camera to avoid issues regarding invasion of privacy. It works on its own series of location and GPS to get things done. The device is targeted at adventure sports and helps in navigation. Available for US$ 399, the device connects with your mobile device to allow contacts access from phone, localisation and navigation. And then we have the rumours. Known for their quality of service and beauty of design, Apple is also expected to enter the VR market. As per a report by Bloomberg, they have gone on to discuss the project with their hardware suppliers and have ordered near-eye displays for internal testing. Rumours also indicate that an Apple AR headset would connect to an iPhone. These go on to suggest that secret teams are working on iGlasses, which should hit the market sometime by 2018. If the 48

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quality of the current products from Apple is any consideration, the AR or VR device is expected to be a premium product. However, one thing that sticks out is that, with VR or AR, need for displaying HD content is on the rise. So how are graphic processors keeping up?

What makes virtuality tick Current headsets provide an updated view of the world every 11.1 milliseconds. Their graphic card

Meta 2 from Meta Vision

effectively generates a frame rate of about 90fps. This calls for improving the frame rate and keeping up with the high frame rate requirements. If the next frame is not ready in time, the perspective is adjusted based on the trajectory to cover up for the lag. Asynchronous Space Warp is a frame-rate smoothing technique that almost halves the CPU/GPU time required to produce nearly the same output from the same content. It enables users to run Oculus Rift headsets on lower specification hardware. Asynchronous Space Warp Vive is quite helpful with low-end GPUs that are incapable of generating frames at the required speed. The currently top-of-the-line GPUs include Strix GTX 10 series processors and RX 480. Strix GTX based on Nvidia’s Maxwell archi-

tecture has undergone quite a few improvements. GTX 1060, 1070 and 1080 are improvements over their earlier 9 series processors with improved VR performance. While the 9 series delivers decent experiences overall, the 10 series depends on time-warping for higher graphic demanding games. RX 480, based on the third-generation Graphics Core Next architecture from AMD, is another improvement over the earlier 390 series processors. There has also been reduction in the requirements for VR. Last year saw the processing requirements of Rift reduce from Nvidia GTX 970 or AMD 290, Intel i5-4590 and 8GB RAM to i3-6100 CPU with GTX 960 GPU or AMD FX-4350 with Radeon RX 470. This has, however, been in large due to Asynchronous Space Warp. Looking purely at graphics processing, AMD Radeon RX480 remains the most cost-effective solution for VR experiences. It manages to generate about 62fps, whereas the alternative Nvidia’s GTX 1080 generates about 59fps. Looks like a long way to go for processors to hit the ideal 90fps mark!

The oxymoron goes on Rumours or not, VR is a major focus area for manufacturers going ahead. Its popularity is evident from an experience I had last week. While travelling, I heard a knock on my car window. Thinking it would be another hawker selling stuff I did not need, I brushed him off. When the vehicle moved, the rear-view mirror showed a person holding three to four VR headset boxes. Those might have been knockoffs, but the idea that VR has reached the streets is heartening. www.EFYmAg.com

Power SuPPly

DC Power Distribution: Need To Think Of Current Situation

I Hadpe Somnath S. is assistant professor and research coordinator of electrical engineering at Matoshri College of Engineering and Research Centre, Nashik. He is masters in power systems and BE (electrical engineering) from University of Pune. His areas of interest include power electronics, DC power distribution system stability and power quality

Fig. 1: A unipolar LVDC distribution system

AC/DC

50

be operated between either +100 or -100-volt legs of the system and zerovolt neutral conductor that carried only unbalanced current between the positive and negative sources. For fast-growing power electronics development, it is possible to completely replace the existing AC distribution network with DC distribution network, from the point of view of today’s power system scenario at distribution side. Most of the loads on distribution side are of DC type and, unfortunately, these all are fed by an AC-type supply distribution system involving a number of energy-conversion stages. In case of AC type there should be Current scenario source synchronisation, which is not required in case of DC. DC can be drawn The electrical power distribution system directly from solar, wind and the grid by at the end of 19th century was based on the loads, depending on which source is DC technology. This Edison DC distribuavailable. Harmonic issues and phasetion system had the disadvantage that balancing problems are not present in power-generating plants feeding heavy a DC system. It offers a lower cost of distribution conductors and consumer ownership in building wiring, copper loads tapped of these. This system operand connectors along with an increase in ated at the same voltage level throughout. efficiency of eight to ten per cent, which But to have a better option, a threeis truly significant. wire system was also used to save the A proper distribution system offers cost of the copper conductor. The three higher efficiency and the potential to wires were at 110, zero and -110 volts extract power from multiple available relative potential. 100-volt lamps could sources. Then there are benefits that are not as immediately Consumer 1 DC/AC apparent. Most back-up energy sources such as batteries and Consumer 3 flywheels are inherently DC. DC/AC Further, telecom and server loads run on DC, so there are fewer intermediate efficiencyrobbing stages, along with greater reliability due to fewer Consumer 2 potential points of failure with the DC approach. According to Central Electricity Authority (CEA), India has a shortDC/AC age of around 11 per cent

n India, electrical distribution infrastructure is not well extended in rural areas. However, with advanced development in power electronics switching and control devices, it is now possible to replace an existing AC power distribution network with a DC power supply for better energy efficiency. For this, a case study of actual load data has been done at academic buildings of Matoshri College of Engineering, Nashik. Energy-efficiency analysis on different loads has shown that, if an existing AC power distribution network is replaced by a DC distribution network, considerable amount of energy can be saved.

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

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Power SuPPly peak demand and more than 24 per cent T&D losses. In most rural areas, electricity is not available for more than eight hours a day, so it is necessary to move towards energyefficient techniques with renewable energy support.

Low-voltage DC distribution system topologies

DC/AC

Consumer 1 Consumer 3

AC/DC

DC/AC

Consumer 2

AC/DC DC/AC

A low-voltage DC (LVDC) system is Fig. 2: Bipolar LVDC distribution system with different customer connection alternatives of two types, accordingly to conductor polarities: section selection. Connections 1 Unipolar LVDC system. In this conversion efficiencies for differand 2 are used in studied ±750V type of distribution system, voltage ent wattage ratings are given in DC bipolar system. Main lines of level throughout the system is the Table I, which can be further used the system contain all three conducsame. The two-conductor system for calculations. tors but customer connections have has one conductor at positive polarLosses calculation two-wire cables connected between ity and another at zero or neutral positive or negative poles. Therefore polarity. Entire load on the distribuLoads in the building. Academic customer supply voltage is either tion system is connected at this voltbuildings consist of different con+750V DC or -750V DC. age level, as shown in Fig. 1. nected loads, broadly mentioned in Bipolar LVDC system. A bipoTable II with their wattage ratings. Energy efficiency analysis of lar LVDC system is a combination From Table I it is clear that, accordAC/DC, DC/DC and DC/AC of two series-connected unipolar ing to the wattage rating, converconversions systems. In this system, it is the sion efficiency of every electrical choice of the customer to connect equipment is different. Now, to According to the survey of differto the appropriate voltage level. The calculate the total energy consumed ent products in the market, some choices are: by each equipment, a site survey 1. Positive to was done. According to the site surTable I neutral polarity vey, total electricity consumed by a ConversIon effICIenCIes of dIfferenT 2. Negative to particular load is given in Table II. eleCTrICal equIpmenT by waTTage neutral polarity Power supplies of loads in the power rating (w) 10 100 1000 10,000 100,000 1,000,000 3. Positive to building. From the above-menThe conversion negative polarity tioned data of connected loads for AC/DC 69% 75% 81% 87% 93% 99% 4. Positive to the buildings, conversion efficiency DC/DC 86% 90% 92% 96% 97% 99% negative polarity formulae for different loads are DC/AC 90% 92% 92% 95% 95% 98% with neutral congiven as follows: nection Desktop computers. Efficiency Fig. 2 shows for desktop computers on existing Table II the possible AC supply is given by: sTaTIsTICs of load In The aCademIC ηAC= ηUPS×ηT×ηAC/DC×ηDC/DC×ηFeeder ........ (1) alternatives for buIldIng of mCoe and rC nashIk a consumer conIf the same is used to supply loads power (w) quantity Total (w) nection. Customfrom DC power system, power efFluorescent lamps 40 419 16,760 er connections 1 ficiency is: ηDC= ηUPS×ηDC/DC×ηFeeder ........ (2) Fans 80 842 67,360 and 2 can lead to an unsymwhere ηUPS is the power efficiency of Desktop computers 150 548 82,200 metrical loading UPS (75 per cent taken here by meaPrinters 40 48 1920 situation between IT devices surement), ηT is the power efficiency 20 27 540 DC poles in the of transformer, ηAC/DC is the power efPhotocopy machines 200 04 800 system. Possible ficiency of AC/DC, ηDC/DC is the power Water coolers 1000 08 8000 over-voltage can efficiency of DC/DC and ηFeeder is the Water pumps 2332 02 4664 be restricted with power efficiency of feeder, which is LED lights 68 20 1360 a cable cross100 per cent. 52

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Power SuPPly Table III

ComparIson beTween effICIenCIes of aC and dC wITh IndIvIdual load loads

Total kwh/day

energy loss by aC (kwh)

energy loss by dC (kwh)

per cent efficiency by aC

per cent efficiency by dC

Fluorescent lamp

48

00

7.2

100

85

Fans

228

00

20.52

100

91

Computers

300

99

9

67

97

Printers

2.8

1.064

0.112

62

96

IT devices

4.86

2.187

0.388

55

92

Photocopy machines

1.2

0.312

0.096

74

92

Water coolers

32

6.72

1.6

79

95

Water pumps

18.65

00

0.9325

100

95

LED lights

3.264

0.8486

0.2611

74

92

Other loads. Like desktop computers, it is possible to calculate the power conversion efficiency for AC and DC supply for all other loads. For fluorescent lamps:

For printers and IT devices, these efficiencies are calculated using equations (1) and (2). For LED lights and photocopy machines:

ηAC= ηFeeder ηDC= ηDC/DC×ηFeeder

ηAC= ηAC/DC×ηDC/DC×ηFeeder ηDC= ηDC/DC×ηFeeder

54

........ (3) ........ (4)

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

........ (5) ........ (6)

Similarly, power efficiencies can be calculated for all the loads, and their calculated values are summarised in Table III. It is clear from the above analysis that in a distribution system, where most loads are of DC type, a DC distribution system works quite efficiently. Also, effective energy saving of 18 per cent is possible. Calculations for energy-conversion efficiency of a building have been established for various loads. During the conversion from AC/ DC, DC/AC and DC/DC, power losses are calculated with efficiency for AC and DC supply with proper comparison. Compared to an AC distribution system, a DC distribution system has 18 per cent more efficiency. Thus, a DC distribution system with bipolar DC feeder has a great future in India to achieve Late Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s Vision of 2020.

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chip design

Hybrid Emulation And The Challenges Ahead

H

ybrid emulation is a technique that combines emulation and virtual prototyping to enable earlier architecture optimisation and software development, as well as higher performance for software-driven register-transfer level (RTL) verification even when critical IP RTL is not available. Hybrid emulation is done when part of the system is run in the emulator and the other part is run in a virtual prototype. Hybrid emulation with a high-performance emulator can run at multimegahertz speeds, fast enough to provide a productive debugging experience. When using the hybrid emulation system for software development, you require access to full-visibility debug features of the emulator, where some of the design is modelled. This allows a full systemlevel view for verification. Hybrid emulation enables system on chip (SoC) development teams to take full advantage of their investments in a high-performance emulation system across their entire project to better meet increasing software, verification and competitive challenges. Typically, a model of the processor is run in the virtual platform and then the rest of the design is modelled by running the RTL on the emulator.

V.P. Sampath, an active member of IEEE and Institution of Engineers India Ltd, is currently working as technical architect at AdeptChips, Bengaluru. He is a regular contributor to national newspapers, IEEE-MAS section, and has published international papers in VLSI and networks

Fig. 1: Virtual prototyping

Virtual prototype running unmodified embedded software

RTL for complex function mapped to hardware Emulator

PC

Emulator

Virtual Prototype

MCU Security Logic

58

LT Bus

Multi-core Processor Subsystem

RTL Design TLM LT Adaptor

AXI Master Transactor

TLM LT Adaptor

AXI Slave Transactor

USB

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

GPU Display Logic

Benefits of hybrid emulation Hybrid emulation offers several benefits for SoC architecture, software and verification teams. For architects, it provides a mechanism to implement key elements of the SoC that are only available as RTL in a high-performance, cycle-accurate manner to support their architecture optimisation efforts. Users can choose cycle-accurate, approximatelytimed or loosely-timed synchronisation between the virtual prototype and the emulator to make speed/accuracy tradeoffs. Three main uses for hybrid emulation are architectural validation with accurate models, early software development and hardware verification. In architectural validation with accurate models, high-speed models used to model processors are only functionally-accurate and not cycle-accurate, and you cannot get accurate performance or accurate performance data from these at that level of detail. Of course, you could just run the RTL of the processor on a simulator, but that is too slow. In early software development, transactional-level models are often not available, are too low or do not exactly match the RTL for the block. But a hybrid approach with the processor in a virtual platform and all or most of the rest of the design in the emulator is fast enough for productive software development. Hardware verification allows running actual software load. Architectural validation. For SoC architecture validation, you, as a user, have to link a high-performance emulator like ZeBu Server-3 to a virtual prototype exploration tool like Platform Architect MCO. ZeBu Server is the industry’s fastest emulation system. ZeBu solution includes ZeBu Server-3 emulator and a broad portfolio of ZeBu transactors, memory models and ZEMI-3 transactor compiler for rapid development of virtual system-level verification environments. www.EFYmAg.com

chip design

2+ billion clocks Reset (1000 clocks)

1

Boot OS (Bootloader, Kernel, Init, VM, etc) (1 billion clocks)

1k

2k

3k

System Services (Pwr, Batt, NetStat, Bluetooth, etc) (1 billion clocks)

1B

CPU Clocks

User Applications (Internet Browser)

2B

2.1B

Fig. 2: CPU clocks PC

ZeBu

Virtual Display Window

Processor Subsystem

DMA

System Bus

Virtualiser TLM LT Adaptor

Video Transactor

RTL Design

AXI Transactor

Image Processing Engine

System Interfaces Memory

Fig. 3: Virtualiser

ZeBu provides the comprehensive debug with full signal visibility and Verdi integration, and supports advanced use modes including power management verification and hybrid emulation with virtual prototypes for architecture optimisation and software development. Platform Architect MCO enables system designers to explore and optimise the hardware-software partitioning and configuration of the SoC infrastructure, specifically the global interconnect and memory subsystem, to achieve the right system performance, power and cost. Using a high-performance emulator like ZeBu Server-3 with a virtual prototype exploration tool like Platform Architect MCO, testing typically consists of running application software tests on processor sub-systems in the emulator to drive simulation and monitoring performance. This confirms whether optimised configuration of the architecture design chosen during exploration meets the required performance metrics. Verdi integration provides the www.EFYmAg.com

powerful technology that helps comprehend complex and unfamiliar design behaviour, automate difficult and tedious debug processes and unify diverse and complicated design environments. ZeBu Server module emulates 60M gates in nine emulation chips. The components fit better, and fewer design nets get cut. It has less interconnect hardware. Highest performance is two to five megahertz, and it has low power, small size, gets latest processes every two years and is reliable. Interconnect and memory subsystem peripherals are often modelled in Platform Architect MCO, with cycle-accurate CPU sub-systems modelled in ZeBu Server-3. In ZeBu world, various timing domains maintain their relative clock ratios. Operation in a fully-timed synchronisation mode provides full cycle accuracy. You can use this environment to run a variety of processing loads and data streams, and quickly analyse relative performance tradeoffs between various factors like cache sizes and number of procesElEctronics For You | April 2017

59

chip design Accuracy Architecture Exploration

Hardware/Software Integration

Functional Verification

System Validation

Does the architecture meet performance and power requirements?

Prototype software before first silicon

Does the design function correctly and meet performance and power requirements?

Validate that the design functions as specified

Processor and GPU selection Memory System Dimensioning Interconnect Configuration Cache Coherency Global Interrupts Power Management

OS Integration Driver Development Virtualisation Performance Optimisation

Protocol Compliance Interconnect BW and Latency Cache Coherency Data Integrity Power and Clock Domains

Graphics Video Audio Browser Application Gesture Recognition Phone Functions Camera Functions

Design Technology:

Tools:

Design Technology:

Design Technology:

Traffic Models Transaction Level Models Performance Visualisation Hybrid-Simulation

Debugger Transaction Level Models systemC Virtual Prototypes FPGA Prototypes Performance Visualisation

Traffic Models Verification IP System Monitor Performance Visualisation

FPGA Prototypes HW Accelerated Simulation Hybrid-Simulation Verification IP Transaction Level Models IO Traffic

Turn Around Time Fig. 4: Hybrid emulation

sors. Typical results might show the impact on performance of variations in the number of data streams and processing loads. Early software development and software-driven verification. Hybrid emulation enables pre-silicon software development while part of the RTL design is still under development. It is also useful for system-level hardware-software co-verification. Virtual prototypes support the use of instruction-accurate SystemC/C++ processor models and other looselytimed SystemC TLM-2.0 models. Such models remove the need to wait for silicon to begin developing or validating system software. In the example given in Fig. 4, a video-processing system running in emulation is debugged with image decompression and LCD driver software running on a virtual prototype, displaying real-time video output on virtual display. The software team can leverage these functional models in a virtual prototype developed using a virtualiser, and the resulting software development kit is called a virtualiser development kit, with some pieces of the design for which no SystemC models exist. These are represented as RTL in a high-performance emulator like ZeBu Server-3. 60

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This hybrid emulation environment allows the software design team to begin developing, running and testing its software at multimegahertz speeds long before silicon is available. The hybrid emulation mode is also valuable for softwaredriven verification when the RTL for the processors is not available or when you wish to free up some of the emulation system capacity by offloading processor emulation models and other blocks of the design to the virtual prototype. In the hybrid emulation environment, while the processor models are executing software in the virtual prototype, the emulator also provides full visibility into the design’s RTL to allow simultaneous verification of the non-processor design elements. In such environments, typically, embedded software performs as an executable test bench in combination with emulation focused

Fig. 5: ZeBu server

transaction-level tests using virtual components, C++ test benches, software traffic/packet generators or physical testers. To achieve the hybrid emulation speed required for software development and testing within the virtual prototype, several parameters are not modelled with 100 per cent accuracy in a virtual prototype, such as detailed timing. Consequently, synchronisation mode for hybrid emulation for software development is generally loosely-timed or approximately-timed, which can still provide the accuracy level needed for software development as well as the performance expected. A SystemC loosely-timed processor model must describe processor behaviour accurately enough to execute real, unmodified software images, and model how the system would boot the operating system, support actual drivers and run applications. Software development or software-driven verification. In using hybrid emulation for software development or software-driven verification, the processors are modelled in the virtual prototype using SystemC loosely-timed models such as ARM Fast Models, while major pieces of the design may be modelled in the emulator. The processors and sub-systems are connected to emulated RTL blocks through transactors for bus-level communication with TLM-2.0 wrapper or adaptor. Software debug is accomplished using traditional software development tools such ARM DS-5, Lauterbach Trace32 or inherent tools of the virtual prototype environment. For software development teams, hybrid emulation enables you to perform multi-core software debug in a very high-performance environment without waiting for silicon or transaction-level models to be available. For verification teams, hybrid emulation enables high-performance software-driven verification even when processor RTL is not available for emulation, while freeing emulator www.EFYmAg.com

chip design

Fig. 6: Hybrid emulation enables early system-level hardware/software co-verification

capacity by moving processor models to the virtual prototype. Since the advent of transactionlevel modelling, it has been possible to create a virtual platform of a CPU sub-system, which trades off accuracy for speed in order to provide an early target to test software. Traditionally, the make or break of such virtual platforms would depend on the availability of SystemC models for various components; it would simply take too long to generate a trustworthy model for, say, a new coprocessor, so the benefit of early software simulation would be lost. Growth of SystemC model libraries for popular functions such as ARM’s Fast Models has helped fill those gaps, but what about the new functions unique to the new SoC? Designers and commentators often use the term software freely, but without specifically defining what they mean. An SoC, like most other embedded processing systems, has different kinds of software, operating and inter-reacting at different levels of a software stack and across multiple processors. User space (Fig. 7) including applications appears at the top of the stack and rests upon lower layers, which are increasingly concerned with the operating system kernel and the hardware as you reach lower levels. Choose any level in the stack. If you wish to develop software at that level, then you need a representation of all levels below upon which to run it. Ideally, that might be the real lower-level software running in real system hardware; but when that www.EFYmAg.com

is not available, a model must be created instead. Well, it should have just enough accuracy at a given level in order to maintain the deception that the software at that level is running in the real system; any accuracy greater than that will just be a waste of simulation time. Software at the lowest levels of the stack is aware of SoC hardware and masks any hardware dependencies from higher-level software, thereby allowing greater portability and reuse of programs in the user space. Software at these lower levels is called hardware-dependent software. A model on which you can test aspects of hardware-dependent software, such as a BSP or BIOS, needs high accuracy, and may include a cycle-accurate model of the relevant hardware itself. This may be in an RTL simulator, emulator or FPGA based prototype, depending on how fast you need to run. Software at the highest levels of the stack, such as apps and other user space programs, need the least accuracy, and can therefore run at the highest speeds.

Virtual platforms and FPGA based emulation The task of a virtual platform is to have just enough accuracy to support the level of software being run on it. This is largely achieved by modelling the behaviour and interblock communications at transaction level, which makes these inherently faster than equivalent cycleaccurate representations. If you have the necessary models or libraries of models usually written in SystemC, ElEctronics For You | April 2017

61

chip design

62

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Applications/User Space

Increasing Need for Speed

OS Framework Runtime Libraries/ Middleware OS Kernel/Drivers BSP/BIOS

Increasing Need for Accuracy

then you can create a virtual platform for any SoC. Such libraries of SystemC models are available as open source or commercial packages such as the system-level library. SoC designs are dominated by ARM IP, so you will need models of ARM cores and bus sub-systems. ARM supplies such models by the name of Fast Models, and these models are already in wide use in virtual platforms worldwide. You have seen how RTL can be used to replace missing transactionlevel models. Using Standard Co-Emulation Modelling Interface (SCE-MI), you can create a hybrid emulation platform in order to substitute a transaction-level model for not-yetavailable RTL blocks. In some cases, you might not have access to the RTL for the CPU IP. In such cases, you can either use Fast Models or mount a hardware test chip into the emulator. However, the latest CPU IP often has a virtual model available well before a customer-usable test chip. SCE-MI can be used to solve the following customer-verification problem: Most emulators on the market today offer some proprietary APIs in addition to SCE-MI 1.1 API. Proliferation of APIs makes it very difficult for software based verification products to port to different emulators, thus restricting the solutions available to customers. This also leads to low productivity and low return on investment for emulator customers who build their own solutions. Emulation APIs that exist today are oriented towards gate-level and not system-level verification. If you cannot meet performance targets with the whole SoC in an FPGA based prototype or an emulator, and if you do not need cycle-accurate behaviour within the CPU, you can replace the CPU with Fast Models running in a virtual platform linked via SCE-MI. Virtual models of the CPU run Instruction Set Simulation (ISS) rather

SoC Hardware Fig. 7: Relative importance of speed and performance at different levels of a software stack

than model the CPU’s gate-level behaviour and, hence, perform much faster than running its RTL implemented in FPGA, or an emulator. ARM Fast Models also represent additional device-specific functionalities such as cache coherency that a more generic ISS would ignore, but would still maintain the performance advantage. As an example, a CPU IP sub-system may typically run at 2GHz in 28nm silicon. But how fast will it run in various verification platforms? There are many dependencies, but the CPU’s RTL might only reach 20MHz when partitioned into an FPGA based prototype, or just 2MHz in a traditional Big Box emulator— an FPGA based emulator could be somewhere between those two figures. That same processor’s virtual platform might run at a rate equivalent to more than 1GHz, although this figure is slightly misleading given that the models are untimed, so it is better considered in terms of operations per second. The CPU or a CPU sub-system such as ARM Cortex-A53 cluster is usually delivered as pre-verified RTL, so re-verifying it fully to cyclelevel accuracy may be a waste of time. All you need to do is to model the CPU’s interfaces with the rest of the SoC with cycle-accuracy, while modelling the CPU’s internal activity with untimed transactions. Operation of the CPU, its software and the

overall SoC prototype will be accelerated as a result. This use mode might also be valuable if the target FPGA hardware is running out of capacity such that you do not have room to implement all of the RTL in the FPGA hardware at once. By selectively pushing parts of the design over to the virtual side, you can not only boost performance but also free up FPGA resources. In SoC verification, directed tests are often used in conjunction with constrained random tests in order to provide necessary functional coverage. The most sophisticated directed tests are written such that these can adapt the stimulus to reflect activity within the design under test. Such tests are often written in SystemC, so it is a short jump to consider driving these from a virtual platform running specific test software. Verification teams often employ such software-driven tests, but this is usually assumed to be running on a processor embedded within the SoC hardware. Ability for software running on the virtual CPU to adapt stimulus to the response from the design under test is a powerful way to augment coverage, which may otherwise take a thousand times more verification cycles to reach by constrained random methods alone. If you create a fix to some unexpected behaviour, you can test that fix in exactly the same combination of conditions that exposed the original bug. The hybrid solution drives the hardware with stimulus from the virtual side, for example, with communication messages and data in a certain protocol being extracted by the virtual model from data files on the virtual model’s host workstation. A library of such stimulus might even be built up and reused across projects. In the same way, virtual models can access real world data from a USB port on the FPGA based hardware, for example, in order to exercise middleware, and drivers being created by software engineers on the virtual www.EFYmAg.com

chip design side. This would be an advantage at so-called Plugfest events, in which early developers of new communication standards such as USB 3.0 can physically connect their prototypes to those of cooperative developers of other companies. They could use the CPU and software running in the virtual part of our hybrid emulation platform in order to gain excellent debug visibility into the new driver or even PHY performance. Emulator users and advanced users of FPGA based prototyping provide only remote access to their environments, as opposed to wheeling these into a lab environment. Many end users only work on the software aspects of the SoC and do not need access to the real world, yet they do need to interface with some cycle-accurate behaviour of the RTL running in hardware. In those situations, hardware can be maintained in closed server rooms and accessed over usual networks, perhaps even via Internet protocols in remote locations. This not only makes it easier to share time on the hybrid emulation platform across multiple users, but also isolates it from accidental misuse and shields you from any fragility in the hardware.

Partitioning an SoC across virtual and hardware platforms In all possible use cases for hybrid emulation, there will be some blocks of the SoC design running in FPGA hardware and the rest in virtual models. In some cases, the choice will be governed by the availability of models or RTL. If you have both, however, then it will depend on the side of the virtual-hardware boundary where that particular block is placed. This leads to the critical question of where to place the boundary between virtual and physical domains.

Virtual platforms In the SoC era, virtual platforms are commonly used for system architecture exploration and, following this, www.EFYmAg.com

as a golden reference model for SoC verification. It turns out that virtual platforms are also very useful when it comes to firmware and software development, as virtual reference models are usually available much earlier than the SoC prototype. Coemulation with virtual platforms offers numerous advantages to design, development and verification teams. Advantages of co-emulation with virtual platforms are: • Emulator replaces lacking virtual models • Virtual platforms replace modules unavailable in RTL code • Emulation ensures real hardware accuracy • Emulator is faster than complex virtual model • Virtual platforms are usually based on SystemC simulation kernel and use TLM as an interface to interconnect simulated models. The same interface is used to connect with emulated designs

Challenges One challenge with the hybrid emulation approach is that it can generate insane amounts of data very fast. As a result, there is often a window of a million or so cycles that are recorded and can be used when a bug is encountered to investigate the root cause. But running software and emulation and doing a system boot or bringing up a Wi-Fi connection may take billions of instructions. The point at which the bug was injected by an error and the point at which it is first observed may be too far apart for the million cycle window to be useful. Instead, ZeBu post-run debug works like the following: Every few seconds, a device under test checkpoint is made. All inputs to the system are captured. The system can then be rerun from any one of those device under test checkpoints, and is completely deterministic. This enables billions of cycles to be recorded without actually having to record these. ElEctronics For You | April 2017

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Solving The Software NeedS Of An INStrumeNtatIoN eNgINeer ShanoSh Kumar

DesignSpark Electrical (design and simulation) Enhance your CAD capabilities with DesignSpark Electrical. This tool allows creation of detailed and accurately scaled 2D cabinet layouts, which can be accomplished by simply dragging and dropping 2D footprints of devices from the browser into the design. Not only that, there are ancillary parts such as rails, ducting and cabinets that help build designs. Everybody is looking for software with professional CAD capabilities, and this software assures that you complete designs with great accuracy and precision. The software is full of features like automated wire and device numbering, built-in library, real-time configuration checker and automated reports for a faster design development.

SPIM (design and simulation) SPIM simulator is designed to read and execute assembly language programs written for MIPS32 processor. MIPS architectures help in a better understanding of RISC. The software is lightweight and needs minimum operating system requirements. Although there is a debugger on board, it does not execute binarycompiled programs. SPIM implements almost the entire MIPS32 assembler-extended instruction set. There are several MIPS architectures available, and this simulator is only designed to handle 32-bit integers and addresses. 66

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Some popular resources Freeplane. Freeplane is a free and open source software application that supports thinking and sharing of information much like a mind-mapping tool. Mind-mapping tools such as these help organise and track activities on a 2D plane. Freeplane runs on any operating system, and this version has Java installed on it. Super GRUB2 Disk. Super GRUB2 Disk is a hybrid image software that lets you boot into almost any operating system with ease. It does that by making any drive a bootable one, especially USB drives. FreeMind. Written in Java, this software is again a mind-mapping software that represents information in the form of hierarchical lists, using nodes and edges that are displayed graphically. You can use this to prepare a graphical project outline in a much simpler way than opting for a complex high-level plan document. It is easier to add, delete or move elements around to create a legible overview of your planned activities.

DesignSpark PCB (PCB) As the name suggests, this PCB tool can help you design innovative PCB boards and layouts. At the core of this tool is a software engine that supports numerous schematic sheets and PCB layout files that can be translated with PCB Wizard. With an interactive user interface and PCB editor on board, it is quite easy to refine physical layouts that have been already designed. This software also includes

an auto-router that automatically places tracks between components on a PCB layout. Components can also be auto-placed. Once this refining process is complete, PCB layouts can be passed down for production.

openSCADA (SCADA) SCADA, which stands for supervisory control and data acquisition, is a dedicated software application program for process control, real-time data gathering from remote locations to control equipment and conditions. openSCADA is a companion project to Eclipse SCADA. It is platformindependent, which means it can be installed onto any platform or operating system. Most suitable applications areas include manufacturing industries and power generation units.

NOOBS (utility) New Out Of Box Software (NOOBS) is an operating system that is coded to make Raspberry Pi easier to use by simplifying its installation. Once the software installs onto the computer, you may connect Raspberry Pi and get started. All you need to do is select the operating system to get into its user interface and start using the programming tools or games, or even start building a home automation project on your own. Shanosh Kumar is technology journalist at EFY. He is BCA from Bangalore University and MBA from Christ University, Bengaluru www.EFYmAg.com

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SimulIDE For Simulating Electronic Circuits Priya ravindran

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obbies are fascinating stuff. Be it listening to music, reading novels or going to the gym, the pleasure they give is what makes these tick. But if it is too much hard work, not many would pursue it. Those who enjoy electronics as a hobby are no different; putting together stuff and getting to see it in action is what draws them to it. In this article we introduce a tool that is tailored to suit the needs of electronics hobbyists.

Welcome to SimulIDE SimulIDE is a real-time electronic circuit simulator. It is a simple tool intended for advance learning, and it lets you enjoy the experience as well. SimulIDE is designed to be fast and easy to use, and it works wonders for simple electronics. This is not your tool if your intention is to perform critical analysis or develop accurate models; it is ideal for trials and experimentation. Let us get down to the details of what this tool provides to you.

Readily-available controller models Simple circuits are not just about putting together resistors, capacitors and inductors, of course. You often need a controlling section or an integrated circuit (IC). To aid easy development of such systems, SimulIDE provides support for simulation using microcontrollers. SimulIDE provides AVR, Arduino and PIC microcontrollers that can be accessed just like other components. Features like gpsim and simavr allow you to use PIC and AVR www.efymag.com

Fig. 1: A waveform generator implementation on SimulIDE (Image courtesy: http://alternativeto.net/ software/simulide/)

Giving you the information you need SimulIDE is an open source tool brought to you under GNU general-public licence. The entire project has been developed using C++, making use of Qt for the user interface. You can find the complete source code on their SourceForge page, https://sourceforge. net/p/simulide If you have worked on Circuit Simulator or CircuitLab, you will find it very easy to get used to this tool, and get your simulation up and running quickly. If not, go ahead and check out the many video tutorials where simulations of small designs are demonstrated in great detail.

microcontrollers, respectively. Make sure these add-ons are installed on your system, too. You can load and reload firmware as many times as you want, and watch the movement of data between registers on the screen. The kit also comes with a serial terminal that you can pair with your board.

Design with ease On getting into the application, a window opens up with a huge space

for the actual design. An all-powerful, right-click accessible context menu lets you select components and place these in the angle you want. You can even save the circuit as an image file at any instant easily from the same menu. A column on the left-most corner shows three tabs. On opening any of these tabs; a column opens up between this and the design window. This acts as the user interface for the intricacies of electronics for you Plus | aPril 2017

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Fig. 2: An RLC circuit in action, along with the output waveform

Fig. 3: Choosing your PIC version

the circuit. Take a look at the three available categories. Components. The components section lists out all available com-

ponents for you to choose from. You just have to drag and drop each component and connect these together by wires, which are auto-

THE COMPLETE MAGAZINE ON OPEN SOURCE

matically laid out when you draw a line with the mouse. Components are grouped together like voltage, current, clock and ground; switch category that provides a switch or a push button; passive components like resistors, diodes, capacitors, inductors and potentiometer; and active components like op-amps. You can connect probes, LEDs, etc and view the output of your circuit according to your requirement. Buffers and logic gates like AND, OR and XOR are available to connect anywhere in the circuit. The readily-available AVR or Arduino microcontrollers or 74HC series ICs also need no prior setup, and can simply be added and connected directly in the circuit. RAM table. This section comes in handy while working with microcontrollers. Once the firmware is loaded in, you can observe this section to observe data flow between internal registers. As shown in Fig. 4, you can see that RAM Table window displays the details of the various registers along with their location addresses, designated names and current values in decimal and binary number systems. Properties. Coming to actually creating your circuit, properties of every component can be viewed, set or modified easily. On clicking on a component, all its related parameters can be edited from Properties window. For reactive components, the step length can be varied by changing ReactStep value. The longer this value, the faster the element will simulate; but keep in mind

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that accuracy is compromised. If the reactive component is used in a high-frequency circuit, be aware of the period length while handling this value. In general, circuit simulation speed is measured in steps per second.

Getting down to actual simulation Simulating with SimulIDE is easy— a power button is your control key. Simply click on it and you will see the circuit getting into action. Observe the outputs you defined to learn how the changes you made to the schematic resulted in new results. On installing SimulIDE package, an exclusive folder is created. This should be used as your workspace for all further designs with this tool. The folder also contains an exclusive folder, for example, where files for designs like op-amp, DACs and

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Fig. 4: Working with Arduino Uno

so on are provided. Just import the files into the tool and you will see the simulation for yourself. Being a hobbyist-oriented tool, users of SimulIDE have developed many games like the once-popular Snake and Flappy Bird, samples of which are also provided along

with other examples. May be you could try your hand at some new fun game. Priya Ravindran is M.Sc (electronics) from VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. She loves to explore new avenues and is passionate about writing

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CircuitMod: Modifying The Approach To Circuit Simulation Priya ravindran

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dark, black screen. Symbols of a resistor, a capacitor and an inductor. A switch. Flashes of red, green and grey, and moving yellow dots. Graphs at the bottom of the screen, lines criss-crossing to create beautiful orderly curves on the screen. Click on the switch and the patterns change. The red disappears, the yellow moves differently and the grey is hardly there. Magically, a transition seems to have happened on the screen! It does not take too much to figure out what is happening here. It certainly sounds like a circuit is kicking into action. An LCR circuit in fact. But is it possible to actually see what you can only begin to visualise? Certainly seems so! The above simply describes the window that greets you on venturing into the world of CircuitMod! Does the scenario not sound exciting? Questions tumble into the mind one after the other. What is CircuitMod? Does it actually let you see action live? Can you make your own circuit? Does it actually mean you get to see what you have largely learnt only in theory? Let us try to seek a few answers first.

What is the big deal anyway First things first! CircuitMod is an electronic circuit simulator. But instead of simulating a schematic in the background and giving results to you, CircuitMod shows you what is happening in the circuit. Sounds confusing? Well, let us break it down. The schematic of the circuit appears on the screen like any usual circuit diagram. But start the circuit, and a mini movie begins. Every part of the circuit takes a iV

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Fig. 1: A live LRC circuit with the switch closed

colour depending upon Quick bites the voltage in the area. Tool: CircuitMod Any wire with positive Category: Electronic circuit simulation voltage is seen in green, Purpose: Enhance learning of basic electronics grounded regions are Known for: Extending the capacity of the original Falstad’s grey and red indicates Java circuit simulator into CMOS chips, LED arrays, LED negative voltage. Current matrix and PIC programming flows as yellow dots Licence: GNU general-public Brought to you by: federoggio, munukuntla4313, fgg192 moving on the screen. Original code by: Paul Falstad Three graphs at the Website: http://circuitmod.sourceforge.net/ bottom of the screen act like oscilloscopes to your design, each one showing the voltthe circuit menu of the tool and you age and current across a particular have a plethora of circuits to venture component. Green traces being voltinto. As you surf through the circuit age and current traces being yellow, list, each kicks into live action, demgraphs are drawn as the circuit is onstrating how the circuit functions simulated, and you can see the varifor the given set of conditions. ation of current and voltage as the Now, the obvious next question circuit simulates over time. is whether you only get to learn from what is already there, and the answer Observe, change, learn to that is a firm no! The pre-included circuits form the basis of most circuits This approach seems to have a lot an electronics beginner deals with. of takers in newbies to the field or From then on, you are at your free anyone who wishes to revisit the will. Modify the circuit as and how you basics of electronics. CircuitMod want. It could simply be changing the seems to have been constructed values of the components involved, with this approach in mind. Go into www.EFYmag.com

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Fig. 2: An LRC circuit with switch open

moving around two of these to create a small change, or adding new components to create a whole new version. Options a click away. Turning the circuit on and off can be done by simply clicking on the switch. Move the mouse over the circuit, and as you pass each component, a short description of the component and its current state pop up at the lower-right corner of the screen. If you want to edit any part of the circuit, right-click on the corresponding component and you can see the edit window. Graphs for better visibility. Coming to Scope window at the bottom of the screen, you can see instantaneous voltage, current and power as these

change with time, or you can stack these together and see a single window, and compare how the current and voltage trends vary. As you move over the scope, the component it is graphing is highlighted in the circuit; you can change the scope data to show another component’s details. You can also adjust the speed of simulation according to the speed at which you want the circuit to function—a slow movie or an action flick, it is your choice!

Beginner’s luck Let us take a look at some of the sample circuits already pre-loaded in CircuitMod. Here are a few categories

Solutions to a few errors that commonly occur Voltage source loop with no resistance. This means one of the voltage sources in your circuit is shorted. Make sure there is some resistance across every voltage source. Capacitor loop with no resistance. It is not allowed to have any current loops containing capacitors and no resistance. For example, capacitors connected in parallel are not allowed; you must put a resistor in series with these. Shorted capacitors are allowed. Singular matrix. This means that your circuit is inconsistent (two different voltage sources connected to each other), or that the voltage at some point is undefined. It might also mean that some component’s terminals are unconnected; for example, if you create an op-amp but have not connected anything to it yet, you will get this error. Convergence failed. This means the simulator cannot figure out what the state of the circuit should be. Just click Reset, and hopefully that should fix it. Your circuit might be too complicated, but this happens sometimes even with examples. Transmission line delay too large. The transmission line delay is too large compared to the time step of the simulator, so too much memory would be required. Make the delay smaller. Need to ground transmission line. Bottom two wires of a transmission line must always be grounded in this simulator. (Courtesy: www.falstad.com/circuit/directions.html) www.EFYmag.com

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efy of designs available: Basics. Resistors, capacitors, inductors. This is simply to appreciate the role of these components in any circuit. CircuitMod also includes voltage dividers for a set of voltage-generation, Thevenin’s and Norton’s theorems. AC circuits. Circuits depicting the behaviour of capacitors and inductors under an alternating current (AC) source and to different frequencies can easily be studied with the circuit spread under this section. Concepts of impedance, series resonance and parallel resonance are not difficult to grasp anymore. Passive circuits. Everything from filter and crossover circuits, to transformers and differentiators are illustrated here. There are also circuits that help you understand how exactly three- and four-way light switches work, why wheatstone bridge balancing is important to avoid current flow between its legs, and circuits performing inductive kickback action. Power factor analysis. Let us take an example to understand why this style of learning is so powerful. Consider an inductor being driven by AC voltage. Below is the explanation for the circuit as taken from Falstad website: “The colours indicate power consumption; red means that a

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Fig. 3: Power factor analysis using CircuitMod

component is consuming power and green means that the component is contributing power. The left side of the circuit represents the power company’s side and the right side represents a factory (with a large induction motor). The highlyinductive load is causing the power company to work a lot harder than normal for a given amount of power delivered. The graph on the left indicates the power lost in the power company’s equipment (the resistor at top left). The graph in the middle is the power delivered to the factory. The graph on the right is the power delivered to the inductor (and then returned, causing the time average of power delivered to be zero). Even though a peak power of 40mW

is being delivered to the factory, 200mW is being dissipated in the power company’s wires. This is why power companies charge extra for inductive loads.” The above clarifies why thorough analysis of even simple circuits is very important and how exactly CircuitMod chips in here. A little more. Apart from the above, there are circuits involving diodes—be it rectifier or diode characteristics, voltage multipliers, communication-related circuits like detectors, transistors and op-amps in their various configurations, oscillators, JFETS, MOSFETs, timers, logic families, digital circuits, phaselocked loops and transmission lines; basically, the entire package.

Tried and tested The tool is at your disposal. How effective is your learning depends on how much you exploit the available resources. Play around with the options. You can not only modify the circuit, but also the way these look. Replace resistors with European-style ones, change the screen background to white, reverse conventional current direction—the options are quite a handful. Explore and enjoy!

Fig. 4: The same LRC circuit with stacked traces and showing specific details of the highlighted capacitor

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Priya Ravindran is M.Sc (electronics) from VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu. She loves to explore new avenues and is passionate about writing www.EFYmag.com

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Electronic System Design: Begin With XSCHEM ShanoSh Kumar

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he need for a schematic editor arises from the complex electronic systems that were once manually drawn by engineers and designers. Today, most modern schematic software are equipped with state-of-the-art tools that can handle very complex circuit conception to its final product. This is how digital schematics were born. XSCHEM could be that tool of choice that lets you work with nets, pins and wires. Knowing these basics marks the beginning of formal circuit design followed by simulation. During the first step in a design cycle, you have to make sure that the tools in the schematic editor are well understood. Once the schematic has been drawn on the computer, circuit connectivity and device netlist are generated and sent to a circuit simulator.

Judging a book by its cover To make this process effective while transcending the concept from your mind to the editor, an easy graphical interface is required. By focusing on interfaces, hierarchy and instance properties, this software helps simplify a complex system and creates an illustration that looks like small building blocks of the project. XSCHEM is made more attractive by its capability to handle integrated circuit (IC) design and to generate netlists for very-largescale digital, analogue or mixedmode simulations. A netlist is generated with every simulation, and that provides a textual description of a circuit made of components. Components such as gates, resistors, capacitors and www.efymag.com

Fig. 1: Analogue circuit example

transistors can all be listed together to form a netlist when used in analogue simulation tools. Once the schematic is created, a circuit netlist can be generated for simulation. Currently, XSCHEM supports three netlist formats: • SPICE netlist • VHDL netlist • VERILOG netlist

Give the benefit of the doubt XSCHEM could be looked upon as a featureful industrial-grade software. As you can see in Fig. 1, it is a depiction of VLSI system(s)-on-chip imported in XSCHEM. In the figure, the tool is seen handling more than ten hierarchies, and the primary goal of this program is to build a bigger schematic. This has been the primary goal during the whole

development of the program. Although the user interface looks very simple, the net-listing and rendering engines in XSCHEM are designed from the ground up to handle very large designs in the most efficient way. All you have to do is keep bind keys in your hands, as most of the work is done by these. This comes in very handy when working on bigger projects that combine more than 1000 transistors and still use context menus and elaborate graphical actions while designing these.

Start designing using layers Most editing commands are available in the menu, but definitely key bindings and mouse actions are the most effective ways to build and arrange schematics, so you should electronics for you Plus | aPril 2017

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learn at least the most important ones. Properties are text strings that are associated with XSCHEM objects. All graphic primitives such as lines and wires, which could be combined to create more complex graphical images, are supported. These are: • Wires • Lines • Rectangles • Texts Consider, for example, Fig. 2: Digital system for VHDL simulation res.sym symbol (you may open it with Open menu). If every component in the design is you click on one of the red pins and press edit property bind key q, a dia- part of a layer. Every layer has its own characteristic like colour and logue box shows the property string hierarchy. Lines in this software do associated with the selected pin. not have any electrical meaning and Wire layer. Wiring is one of the are just segments for drawing lines. most important aspects of an electriXCHEM has provisions that make cal design. In this software the wires lines look like wires, which could be are said to be equivalent of copimplemented using bind key l. per traces found in printed circuit Rectangles layer. While drawing boards or electrical conductors. The rectangles, again on multiple layers, wires can be drawn as lines while a specific PIN layer is used to make the electrical connectivity graph is pins that are used to interconnect built by the software itself. If you wires and components. Rectangles wish to draw a wire segment, all are placed with bind key r on the you have to do is point the mouse design screen. somewhere on the drawing window and press w key. The whole nine yards of It could be seen that an elasXSCHEM simulator tic wire image appears with one end following the mouse cursor. To create a new circuit, start at an By clicking the left mouse button, empty window—all you have to do is the wire could be brought to the run XSCHEM and select New in File place where it needs to be finished. menu. If you wish to place a NAND XSCHEM has an advanced way of gate, with two inputs A and B, and recognising the connection of wires, one output Z, all you have to do is and uses this information to build place the input and output schematic circuit connectivity. Hence, all wires pins, later using Insert key, and loare drawn from the wire layer. cate the devices using symbols. Text layer. It is easy to place text Editor that commands all. on the design pane. All you have Principles of a design are governed to do is use shortcut bind key t to by the circuit that is being created enable text feature. This opens up a by you. With XSCHEM you can also dialogue box, which appears where decide what to do with a selection. you can provide inputs as text and If you decide to change the property determine text size. of a selected object, a simple press Line layer. While using XSCHEM of property key q does the job. you will get familiar with layers as Now there is more emphasis Viii

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given to the bind key. Multiple objects could be moved using multiple clicks and holding onto shift key while pressing on m key. You can find almost all editing commands available in Editor menu. With interactive icons on the editor, mouse actions and keyboard shortcuts, it is easy to build complex schematics in very little time. Net-listing and predesigned modes. To help better the designs, XSCHEM is bundled with three predefined net-listing modes. These are SPICE, Verilog and VHDL. Each net-listing mode opens to an Options menu complete with VHDL, Verilog and SPICE radio buttons. You can select through the netlist modes, which are found on the topright part of Menu bar. Net probes and colour highlighters. XSCHEM has the ability to highlight nets and propagate the highlight colour to all nets or instance pins attached to the net. With this feature, it becomes really easy to net through the hierarchy, and there is greater visibility while working with large and complex designs. Click a net and press k key, and the highlighter comes to life. Final simulation. The software fulfils almost all design goals of optimally launching simulation without additional manual file editing. XSCHEM accomplishes this by storing not only the schematic of the circuit but the simulator settings including all additional files. Schematic-ready simulations could be made ready just by clicking Simulation button. Icarus Verilog simulator gets executed to compile (iverilog) and run (vvp) the simulation. Finally, a terminal window will show the simulation output. Shanosh Kumar is technology journalist at EFY. He is BCA from Bangalore University and MBA from Christ University, Bengaluru www.efymag.com

Manufacture

Smart Coding teChniqueS And Their Benefits For Electronics

E Chirag Sheth is global marketing manager for electronics at Videojet Technologies. He has a masters of business administration degree from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, USA

lectronic devices feature a large number of small components, each piece being highly important to their overall functionality and safety. The responsibility for ensuring that each minute component is performing adequately rests firmly on the shoulders of the device and component manufacturers. However, their jobs are being made more difficult by the growing issue of counterfeiting in the electrical market. Printed codes and marks enable manufacturers to track and trace products throughout the supply chain. These also, importantly, help distinguish between genuine and counterfeited components. However, counterfeiters are becoming increasingly sophisticated and have developed capabilities to replicate codes. In order to counter this problem, manufacturers find it necessary to employ more sophisticated coding methods such as smart code techniques.

Smart coding and micro-printing In today’s rapidly-changing electrical component industry, manufacturers must combine the right technology and techniques to encounter the many obstacles they face. Fig. 1: 1650 and 1620 high-resolution CIJ printers from Videojet for enhanced micro-printing, at speeds up to 348 metres per minute

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Electrical components, more often than not, appear to be identical. Coding and marking allows manufacturers to safely make a distinction between parts. Further, coding and marking allow them to build brand recognition into their products. Application of increasingly-complex codes on small surface spaces is a challenge that is hard to overcome with outdated printer technologies. Advanced micro-printers have proved to be the solution. These have the ability to produce high-quality legible text down to 0.6mm in size in high-speed production environments. Utilising algorithmic software technology, printers equipped with smart coding capabilities can alter and verify specific characters within codes. Implementation of smart coding techniques to improve existing basic lot/batch codes is simple, with nominal incremental production costs. Without knowledge of algorithms and keys, these smart codes are impossible to duplicate and can go a long way towards preventing counterfeiting activities, which contribute to huge profit losses.

Smart coding techniques There are numerous smart coding techniques that component manufacturers can employ to enhance their basic lot/batch codes. Each technique (explained below) varies in complexity and application: Self-verifying codes. These are one of the most basic ways to identify the authenticity of products with a visual check. With this type of marking, a pre-determined pattern is set for the code; for example, all digits add up to a certain number. Interleaved marking. With interleaved marking, characters within a code are partially overlapped. While this overlay is visible to the naked eye, it electronics for you | april 2017

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Fig. 2: Electronics labelling has been given a new lease of life with high-resolution micro-printing using high-resolution CIJ printers

is highly difficult to replicate this character formulation. Dynamically-altered font. Varied numbers and letters within a code can have minute sections of characters missing in order to create distinct codes. The advantage of this code is that, visually it is difficult to recognise the small differences—only supply chain partners who have a trained understanding of the code formation can observe the differences. Verifiable codes. Tracked with vision-inspection systems, verifiable codes utilise unique software-driven algorithms, which cannot be duplicated without an understanding of the algorithm and keys. Covert codes. Ultraviolet and infrared inks can be utilised to create covert codes that are not visible to the naked eye. Codes are only visible under ultraviolet or other high-frequency lighting, and these are inconspicuous methods of tracking products throughout the supply chain.

Challenges of coding electrical components Increased productivity and maximised profitability are the main objectives of any production facility, and manufacturers ultimately need to ensure their production line is streamlined in order to 68

safeguard these objectives. In the electrical manufacturing environment, there are specific challenges related to coding components that the manufacturers must ensure do not interfere with production efficiency. Two of the clearest are limited surface space for marking and coding on small electrical components, and increased complexity of codes. Given the dynamic nature of modern supply chains, a greater degree of supply chain parties are now demanding that their own specific data is included. This, coupled with anti-counterfeiting coding requirements, means that code complexity has amplified at the same time as components have decreased in size. Ink durability and compliance are also challenges manufactur-

ers face during the production process. Codes must endure the exacting alcohol cleaning process that electrical components undergo in order to remove solder residue, and need to be durable enough to withstand this process without causing any damage to the components. Further, manufacturers must also ensure that they use halogen-free inks—in line with industry regulations such as Restriction of Hazardous Substance Directive (RoHS).

CIJ, laser printing could provide the solution

Continuous inkjet (CIJ) and laser technologies are perfectly suited to the production and industry requirements of electronic component manufacturing. Both are highly versatile at high speeds and, with smart coding capabilities, CIJ and laser printers’ algorithmic software technologies enable manufacturers to create dynamic codes that are difficult to replicate. Also, both printer technologies have the capability to produce highlylegible complex codes on limited surface spaces. CIJ printers produce highresolution codes that are extremely durable, even during exacting alcohol cleaning processes. The technology’s compatibility with alcohol-resistant, quickdrying and halogen-free inks helps to advance coding and marking applications within the electronic component manufacturing environment, and helps manufacturers to comply with legislative requirements. CIJ printers also offer pigmented inks that offer strong code contrast against electronics with Fig. 3: 1650 and 1620 high-resolution CIJ printers use a 40-micron nozzle to print dark surfaces. 2D bar codes and alphanumeric multi-line codes at high speeds on limited areas Laser printers utilise

april 2017 | electronics for you

www.efymag.com

Manufacture

Fig. 4: High-resolution CIJ printers can print as small as 0.6mm in height

a laser beam that alters the surface of the component and ensures establishment of permanent, traceable marks—from simple codes to more complex graphs. As these printers do not use inks, codes are not affected by the alcohol cleaning processes. Manufacturers have the option of several laser coding methods, depending on the sensitivity of components. New advanced printer ranges offer a variety of laser sources, including CO2, fibre, UV and YAG. In order to safeguard the quality of codes, manufacturers can use integrated vision systems to verify the accuracy of codes and ensure these are legible for supply chain and distribution partners. These systems can identify whether the contrast in coding is adequate, and help to highlight common coding errors.

Conclusion Counterfeiting has the potential to create significant profits or losses for companies. This is a real and present issue within the electrical component industry, which can be addressed, in part, through coding and marking applications. Component manufacturers must also deal with the added challenge of printing increasingly complex codes on small substrate surfaces, and countering these issues with outdated technologies is not a sustainable option. Selecting an advanced CIJ or laser printer with smart coding capabilities can go a long way in assisting manufacturers tackle the problem of counterfeiting, at the same time ensuring maximised production line performance. www.efymag.com

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design

Increasing Processing Power Of DIY anD hobbYIst Development boarDs

E Saurabh Durgapal is working as technology journalist at EFY

ver since Arduino came into being, development boards have become a very common tool among engineers trying to design various kinds of circuits. The market is flooded with development boards with all sorts of features. Any requirement you might have, there is a development board for it. You want to prototype for the Internet of Things (IoT), you have a whole set; you want industrial grade, there is a different line; so on and so forth. Aided by the open source movement, these boards provide a backbone for electronics designers. Most of these solutions consist of connections that are pre-made and require simply adding the finishing touches. Priced as low as a ` 200, these boards can get you started on the way to becoming a circuit designer.

Increased availability of development boards The availability of inexpensive development boards and the possibility of creating projects have been blessings for designers.

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Prakash Mohapatra, product manager, Toradex, says, “The extensive ecosystem of both hardware and software, backed by strong community support and low upfront cost, make these an ideal choice for hobbyists and academicians.” These boards are now being used for prototyping circuits before these go into production. For hobbyists, these have come in handy. Automated plant watering systems or automated garage openers have become mainstream projects, thanks to the development boards. Plugging a cable and simply controlling the boards from a computer makes it sound so easy. Tough competition for development. Be it a simple garage door opener or a fire breathing robot, Arduino is what comes to mind as the design solution. Initially aimed at hobbyists, the range of Arduino boards has now become a means to test and prototype projects before going into production. It is an attractive solution for professional engineers as a low-cost method for validating a project’s design and quickly building a prototype. The availability combined with a wide variety of possible applications make it a very interesting solution for hobbyists and industrialists alike. But it is not just Arduino that is making a name for itself. Most companies that have launched microcontrollers in the past decade have seen development support as vital—continuing a trend to support low-volume users. In some cases, microcontroller and software vendors have Arduino as a target for their own product development. Of late, many new boards have entered the market. For engineers looking to try development, Tivaware from Texas Instruments is a lucrative option. It is compatible with Code Composer and Energia that give a hands-on experience www.EFYmAg.com

design for academicians looking to enter development professionally. Curiosity boards from Microchip are also an interesting addition. Based on PIC32 microcontroller, these allow for the IoT and connectivity application development. Mbed initiative from ARM is another option for programmers. It provides an ecosystem for the development of IoT devices, so that part-time developers can join the race. And, if things were not diversified enough, developers have successfully added JavaScript and .Net platforms to the mainstream environment of C and C++ for usage in development boards to allow software aficionados to enter the game. Ever since the launch of Raspberry Pi, the definition of computing has changed radically. Tinkerers have started using Raspberry Pi to make robots, data accumulators, phones and desktop computers. Applications are only limited by one’s imagination.

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Some PoPular General-PurPoSe DeveloPment BoarDS name

Features

C.H.I.P

• 1GHz processors powered by Allwinner R8 • Embedded Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi • 4GB storage • No HDMI

MediaTekLinkIt One

• Chipset based on MT2502A (ARM7) at 260MHz • GPS, GSM, GPRS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth • Compatible with boards like Arduino

Orange Pi 2G-IoT

• RDA Micro 8810PL ARM Cortex A5 processor up to 1.0GHz • 256MB on-chip LPDDR2 RAM, 512MB on-chip SLC NAND flash, 256kB L2 cache, Vivante GC860 3D GPU and GSM/GPRS/EDGE

Samsung Artik 530

• 1.2GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 SoC with 1MB L2 cache • 512MB LPDDR3 RAM, 4GB eMMC 4.5 flash • Dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth/BLE 4.2 and 802.15.4 (ZigBee/Thread) radios

SmartMachine by Thingsquare

• CC1310 based sub-1GHz cortex M3 processor • AES-128 security module • Five GPIOs with double power sources, that is, USB and battery

Arduino MKRZero

• SAMD21 Cortex-M0+ 32bit low-power ARM MCU up to 48MHz • 32kB SRAM, 256kB flash with 8kB flash memory for bootloader • No EEPROM

BeagleBoard is another popular board for engineers who like working on Linux. The top-of-the-line board consists of 2GB DDR3 RAM

and 4GB 8-bit e-MMC onboard flash memory. With 3xUSB 3.0, eSATA, HDMI and 2xEthernet, it is a serious contender for top performance in

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design for low power consumption and open source hardware compatibility. So it makes sense to get familiar with ARM architecture for the long run. 8-bit AVR processor ATmega328 from Atmel is another popular development board. Hrishikesh Kamat Prakash Mohapatra T. Anand chief executive officer, product manager, technical architect, With specifications at 32kB Shalaka Technologies Toradex Knewron flash, 2kB SRAM and 1kB EEPROM, it has a wide supsource hardware that allow a lot of port community. However, in case An increasing number of customisation. However, it all started of higher processing power, ARM interface options with a device that could interact with Cortex-A17 is a solution to look out the environment using actuators and for. Designed to deliver high perforA lot of development boards come sensors to bring about a clear output mance in a cost-efficient power and with a multitude of interface options area budget, Cortex-A17 sports a 32ranging from the very popular USB to that corresponded as an electrical or optical signal. Since then, hobbyists bit software ecosystem for mid-range technical ports like RS232. T. Anand, have solved many complex problems consumer and embedded design. technical architect, Knewron, says, ranging from daily applications to the ARM Cortex processors look to be “Interfaces like MOD-BUS, RS232 IoT space. the mainline solution for Linux based or peripheral component interconOpen source hardware have capdevelopment boards. nect (PCI) slots still exist and could tured a major chunk of the market for be prominently seen on industrial Which one to select boards, while general-purpose boards hobbyists. The charm of availability and vast communities for solving isusually have USB interfaces.” Choosing a development board would sues could be the major factors behind depend largely on the application. Arduino, for example, offers Regtheir popularity. Open source allows istered Jack 45 (RJ45) and USB 2.0, For a hobbyist, the applications could availability of designs, which can be among others, for connecting and range from basic learning about tinkered with to suit project requireloading programs from a computer. system development to developing ments—another advantage. But as the Most ARM based devices include a professional applications. Kamat, open source community grows, so do Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) inhowever, advises on getting to know the number of open source boards. terface. This can be used to program the problem and tackling it on a stepon-chip or external flash, or load by-step basis. He adds, “Once you The processing force behind directly into RAM. The JTAG is also know the problem, you can devise the boards the interface for on-chip debug and a solution and select a proper board trace features. Wireless is also being with the required peripherals.” Hrishikesh Kamat, chief executive used as one of the interfaces. Deriving value from developofficer, Shalaka Technologies, adds RS232 and PCI have been the ment. Anand says, “If you are “ARM based processors are very norm for many years. However, interested in practising or playing, common in development boards.” A RS232 seems to be an endangered open source development boards are lot of development boards provide port on computers today. This has a good starting point.” These get you 32-bit solutions, hence calling for brought in the need for a different ARM Cortex-A9 processors in budget to develop electronics without having port on the boards. USB is becoming to go through the hassles involved devices. Their applicability as single more and more popular with develin manufacturing. processors or as a scalable solution opers in this regard. Additionally, a Value can also be derived from with multi-core capability make these separate port is often required for customised development boards caterideal for development boards. debugging and other purposes. JTAG A9 processors have been the go-to ing to specific applications in the form or single-wire debug solutions come solution for low-power thermally-con- of reduced timelines and speeding up in handy for this purpose. product development significantly. strained devices. The earlier version It is not just the interface, But once the design is successful, you of A9, ARM cortex A8, still adorns though. Another reason for the exBeagleBone Black, whereas Raspberry will have to move towards designing treme popularisation of development the circuit by weeding out unnecPi 2 houses 900MHz quad-core ARM boards can be traced to the wide Cortex A7. Clocked at 1GHz, AM335x essary parts and bringing in the availability of easily-available open required components. processor on BeagleBone provides development boards. This board finds a strong contender in UDOO X86 Ultra, which sports a quad-core Intel N3710 SoC clocked at 2.56GHz. Icing on the cake is Intel HD 405 graphics on board, which are supported by 8GB DDR3 RAM. Come to think of it, my PC has got poorer configuration, much poorer!

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Major contributors to this report

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InnovatIon

Bolt IoT: Hardware And Cloud Platform For IoT Products

O Ankita K.S. is audience development editor at EFY, and secretary of IEEE-YP. She is an engineering graduate, and also writes articles on technology for electronicsforu.com

ver the past few years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been an evolving trend for most startups. Also, many large and medium enterprises rely on IoT products for a coherent solution. But the fact is, the IoT is complex and there are endless problems while building an IoT product. According to Verizon’s report ‘State of Market: Internet of Things 2016,’ “Creating, implementing and managing IoT applications is a complex process involving sensors, mobile devices, secure network connectivity, storage, Big Data analytics, ability to scale new services, and on-going integration and fine-tuning. Most enterprises, regardless of size, do not have all of these capabilities and skills in-house to make the IoT a reality.” This proves to be a major drawback of IoT applications, which is why the IoT is still out of reach for many enterprises.

Nothing but a chip

Bolt IoT platform

www.efymag.com

To bridge the gap between the IoT and enterprises, Pranav Pai Vernekar and his team came up with Bolt IoT platform that provides hardware as well as the Cloud. Bolt enables enterprises and makers to build scalable IoT prototypes in a day’s time. Bolt’s small yet highly-functional prototyping board and its intuitive productbuilding experience help build prototypes at minimum cost and man hours. Bolt takes care of analytics, visualisation, network connectivity, storage and scalability so that you, as a developer, can focus on the end application. Basically, it is a small chip that

ESP8266 is a low-cost Wi-Fi chip with full TCP/ IP stack and microcontroller unit capability. It offers a complete and self-contained Wi-Fi networking solution, allowing it to either host the application or to offload all Wi-Fi networking functions from another application processor.

comes with a Wi-Fi module that lets you connect sensors and a Cloud platform to store and analyse data. Bolt’s Cloud platform helps you control and monitor your products over the Internet, create personalised dashboards to visualise data, monitor device health, send text messages and more.

Unbolting the Bolt Bolt offers a completely integrated approach. Hardware of Bolt consists of an ESP8266 chip, which is utilised for Wi-Fi communication and general-purpose input/output (GPIO) control, an SD card for local data storage and five-volt micro-USB charger connector for powering up the hardware unit. It also has a power LED, a status LED to indicate hardware operation status and a Wi-Fi LED to indicate if the hardware is connected to Wi-Fi or not. The Cloud is built using a Python based flask server and a message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) backend to manage devices connected to the Cloud. The developed Cloud stack provides you with a dynamic dashboard using which you can control and monitor your devices over the Internet. Unlike most other platforms, Bolt offers a hardware chip, Cloud, storage, analytics and visualisation in one integrated package. It also has an excellent partner developer network that provides you with full end-to-end IoT product or service development, which is often preferred by bigger companies. electronics for you | april 2017

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InnovatIon A simple hotspot it is The hardware unit starts a Wi-Fi hotspot when it is powered on, which is indicated by the blinking of a blue LED. You can connect to this hotspot using your mobile phone by entering the Wi-Fi credentials for the hardware unit you want to connect to. The device restarts and attempts to connect to the specific Wi-Fi network and, if successful, the blue LED light becomes stable. If not connected, the hardware continues to give out its own Wi-Fi hotspot for setup. You can register the device to your account using the mobile phone app, after which the device is displayed on your Bolt Cloud dashboard. This gives you access to Control Panel, from where you can setup the device, Control/ Visualise page and the device icon, and so on. You can then proceed to the dashboard and click on the device icon and Control/ Visualise it based on the type of the linked page.

Mobile applications in hours Bolt enables you to develop mobile applications for multiple platforms within a few hours. It helps you build a customised user interface with simple scripting languages such as Hyper Text Markup Language/Cascading Style Sheets (HTML/CSS) and interface the GPIO pins using Bolt API. With Bolt’s patent-pending libdiscovery protocol, multiple Bolts can be controlled using a single application.

Monitor and control from anywhere Bolt’s Cloud platform enables you to monitor and control devices from anywhere in the world. With user access management system built into Bolt’s secure Cloud platform, sharing dashboard is very easy. Cloud Control Panel provides you with features like receiving last alive time stamps, current state 74

april 2017 | electronics for you

fail-safe mode, where Bolt card turns into a local server, letting you control and monitor your device in a local environment. Any data generated during the outage is stored safely on the on-board memory, and when the Internet is back, it is immediately uploaded to Bolt Cloud. Pranav Kundaikar (L) and Pranav Pai Vernekar (R), founders of Inventrom

MQTT is a lightweight messaging protocol that provides resourceconstrained network clients with a simple way to distribute telemetry information. The protocol that uses a publish/subscribe communication pattern is used for machine-to-machine communication and plays an important role in the IoT.

of the device, push over-the-air updates and more. Pre-connected to Cloud. The real power of Bolt comes from its Cloud. Bolt hardware chip is pre-connected to Bolt Cloud, which lets you quickly deploy data visualisation and analytics. Bolt has an excellent data visualisation and analytics system because of its pre-built data visualisation service that converts data into useful intelligence and gives you actionable insights from your data. Bolt has simplified APIs that let you set up and manage devices with minimal effort.

Built with scalability in mind Bolt ecosystem is built to be scalable with minimum intervention. It seamlessly integrates onto the Cloud through a simple authentication system, letting you add as many Bolts as you want, when you want. Bolt clusters can be automated through Bolt Cloud in just a few clicks. Also, it comes with a flex-pay system that lets you pay only for the bandwidth your Bolt network consumes.

The IoT without the Internet Bolt lets your IoT device function without the Internet by using Bolt

Abundant resources and applications Bolt already has a large user base, which means getting help from people trained on Bolt platform is easy. Marico uses Bolt to build nextgeneration connected packaging for Saffola Oil. It automatically places an order to the nearest vendor when the material is about to finish, and also lets you monitor your consumption. Some banking and financial institutes are working with Bolt to improve security and user interaction. Applications built using Bolt include DOSAMATIC, an automatic dosa maker that uses an app to take in orders, and Visual juju, an event robot that greets the attendees of an event and clicks their pictures.

There is more to come Evolution of Bolt is still in progress, and development of a new version of Bolt called Bolt 2 is in full swing. “The new Bolt is half the size of the first version and its response time has been brought down to less than a second from the earlier speed of three seconds,” says the Inventrom team. The whole development process on the new Bolt is a lot more intuitive and brings down the development time by a large amount. With a bag full of achievements including winning ‘DST-Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth’ programme and ‘IoT Tech 10’ by Intel and IBM, and Economic Times’ ‘Power of Ideas 2016,’ Bolt continues to develop excellent IoT products. IoT Bolt is a solution for IoT makers looking for a quick and an easy IoT platform to design products. www.efymag.com

test & measurement

Making Devices Safe With IS 13252 Standard ComplIanCe

E Saurabh Durgapal is working as technology journalist at EFY

lectronics makes our lives easier and interesting, but it can bring in several regulations for various reasons. For example, you cannot get your electronics wet, and magnets tend to erase data from magnetic memories. Guidelines are put in place after proper testing based on product limitations. But how do you know if your gadgets are safe to use, or would not burn out in your hands even after proper safeguards?

Even the best of designs need testing

Fig. 1: A lot of gadgets we use are covered under compliance schemes

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Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in collaboration with Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) make sure that electronic gadgets are tested and certified before being released to the public. Among several standards under CRS, there is one governing electronic and information technology (IT) appliances such as laptops and mobile phones. Even the best of designs have to be tested before being let out in the hands of users and maintenance people. Fires, shortcircuits and radiation are some hazards involved with untested electronics. This requires testing the devices according to certain standards. “IS 13252 talks about electrical, mechanical and fire safety of IT and electronic products from the user point of view,” says Kalyan Varma, vice president, products,

Some guidelines for designers IT equipment safety manual from BIS lists the following priorities that should be observed in determining what design measures to adopt: • Where possible, specify design criteria that will eliminate, reduce or guard against hazards • Where the above is not practicable because functioning of the equipment would be impaired, specify the use of protective means independent of equipment (such as personal protective equipment) • Where neither of the above measures are practical, in addition to those measures, specify the provision for markings and instructions regarding residual risks

TUV Rheinland India. These standards, however, are only for safety requirements and do not govern the performance of devices. He adds, “It does not cover performance parameters, cyber security errors or algorithmic variations at all. It is a purely electrical safety standard.” Interestingly, standards that ensure safety of the device follow minimum compliance requirements. Varma explains, “Even in the best of products, there is the possibility of residual risk.” This residual risk can be reduced with improvisations in testing, but this still leaves a chance of error. Specialised test chambers for explosions and RF. Batteries form an integral part of gadgets even though these are not covered under the specification. Hence, safety and performance of a device depend heavily on the battery as well. Specialised chambers are required for battery testing. “We have specialised bunkers made of up to 30cm-thick walls covered with 10cm to 12cm steel for battery testing because of the possibility of explosion,” says Varma. Thankfully, the ones that do explode, do not pass the test. Electromagnetic testing of the device checks for unintentional generation, propagation and reception of electromagelectronics for you | april 2017

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test & measurement netic energy. These parameters may cause unwanted effects such as electromagnetic interference (EMI) and could physically damage the operational equipment. Anechoic RF chambers are set up for electromagnetic compliance (EMC) testing, and the furniture inside the room is made of non-metals. “It is a completely different environment covered with observers,” says Varma. Observers are placed in the room to monitor test data. These provide us with frequency versus amplitude analysis, and the data can be checked for compliance. Testing wireless parameters. Going wireless not only results in fewer wires and easy usability, it also brings the issue of radiation exposure. So the devices have to be tested for radiation, too. The most common use of wireless technology in our phones is for making phone calls. Testing for proper GSM standard has to be performed in every device. “We use EMF receivers for testing electromagnetic parameters. These provide a graphical representation for frequency versus amplitude analysis,” says Varma. Anritsu Me7834L and R&S CMW500 are commonly used for testing GSM signals. SAR is another area of concern with mobile devices. 1.69W/kg is the maximum radiation allowed under many compliance standards. The most accepted method for SAR testing involves simulating a human. The simulated body consists of an orthogonal probe mounted on a robot arm to measure RF fields transmitted into a calibrated tissue stimulant, which is a fluid used to simulate brain or muscle tissue.

Some recent equipment equipment

test category

Anritsu E series

Remote radio heads installed atop 4G towers

Keysight M937xA PXIe Multiport VNA

High-speed transfer bus

ART-Fi and R&S Compliance Bot with ART-MAN

SAR measurement

Omega OM-DAQXL

Data logger

Aspen Electronics Sefram DAS 50

Data logger

Testo Saveris 2

Thermal data logger

Quality of the fluid used to simulate the brain or muscle tissue is obviously important, as its electrical properties vary with frequency, temperature and age. With this method, wireless devices are tested at the highest certified power level in laboratory conditions by a SAR test system. Some common SAR test equipment are ART-MAN from Art-Fi and cSAR3D from SPEAG. A lot of data to be logged. Another equipment commonly used in testing is a data logger. With capabilities including automated data collection, it can be activated and left unattended for a specified period prior to deployment. Electronic data loggers have replaced chart recorders in many applications. Data loggers are becoming increasingly common for specific purposes that require monitoring for longer durations. Temperature measurement, for example, requires devices to be operational for long hours. Data loggers have been a life-saver here. Simply connect a thermometer to the data logger and you are good to go, literally! SDI-12 protocol allows some instruments to be connected to a variety of data loggers. MODBUS and Canbus are some other protocols being used in today’s data

Products covered under IS 13252 Laptops, notebooks, tablets, visual display units, video monitors of screen size 81.2cm (32-inch) and above, printers, plotters, scanners, wireless keyboards, telephone answering machines, set-top boxes, automatic data processing machines, power adaptors for IT equipment, mobile phones, cash registers, point-of-sale terminals, copying machines/ duplicators, smartcard readers, mail processing machines/postage machines/franking machines, passport readers and power banks for use in portable applications, among others, are the products covered under IS 13252. 76

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Fig. 2: IS conformity is displayed on back covers now

loggers. Some data loggers use a flexible scripting environment to adapt themselves to various nonstandard protocols.

What to look ahead to IS 13252 is focused on the safety of IT and electronic equipment, whereas other standards like IS 616 focus on the safety requirements for mains-operated electronic and related apparatus for household and similar general use. However, test equipment used here are similar throughout the spectrum of standards. The type of equipment, however, is moving towards automation. Data loggers provide options like deploy-and-forget, where you have the option of going through measured data at your own pace. With connectivity being the focus in equipment development, the original model of a stand-alone data logger is changing to one of a device that collects data but also has access to wireless communications. We are moving away from proprietary products with commercial software to open source software and hardware devices. In future, specialised high-speed digital data loggers could replace traditional instruments such as oscilloscopes and logic analysers. But we are still miles away from it! www.efymag.com

IntervIew Internet of Things:

“There will be more than 300 per cent increase in investment in ai in 2017” Gopal Govindharajan senior sales enGineer india oeM, dell eMC

Gopal Govindharajan, senior sales engineer - India OEM, Dell EMC, speaks with Shanosh Kumar from EFY about the latest disruptions in Blockchain, natural language processing, artificial intelligence and other interesting technology trends in the Internet of Things (IoT) space, which is no longer in its infancy

Q. how has computing evolved with the influence of the ioT?

effects of this technology, there are a few downsides that make many A. Before the client server architec- enterprises cautious of its adoption. ture evolved, centralised Unix architec- However, Blockchain is still touted to be the most disruptive technology in ture was the best and most promising the near future. The banking industry technology. With advancements in technology, there has been a paradigm is among the early adopters of Blockchain technology due to the security shift in the way computing is done, and ease of operations it offers. and this has paved the way for twoThere has also been increased tracand three-tier architectures. There is tion due to the potential to transform also a possibility that this might undergo another massive transformation key parts of our economy through new fraud-proof, crowd-sourced and within a decade. open trusted mechanisms. Financial institutions will break away from other Q. What led to the development of industries as they welcome Blockchain the ioT? into their systems. A. Prominent factors facilitating this change could be the chaotic and unprecedented growth of devices, data, Q. What is the hottest technology lack of a uniform platform for seamless you see for 2017? interoperability and so on. With conA. The year 2017 will see an nected enterprise becoming a reality, increase in artificial intelligence (AI) IoT devices, normally understood to being used to mine the data comshare information and connect to a ing from IoT devices. AI has already network like that of sensors, have also been making a mark through aiding started real-time computing on-the-fly. real-time decision-making. In AI’s Edge analytics has become a future, developing more natural lanstandard package of any intelligent guage capabilities will help to further gateway. Some gateways also work realise the potential of a connected on the store and forward model, deIoT world, as natural language based pending on the use case. This means data descriptions will provide a unithat the gateway needs to have some versal way to understand data among storage space as well. various types of devices. According to Forrester, there will be more than 300 per cent increase Q. Currently, what are the most disin investment in AI in 2017 as comruptive technologies in this space? pared with 2016. As the IoT gets disA. Blockchain is still at a nascent tributed across the edge and Cloud, stage in terms of adoption for busiinsights will be boosted by the use nesses. Despite numerous positive 78

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of AI and containers. This approach could be expanded to allow humans to communicate with the IoT directly through voice or text.

Q. do you foresee ai having an immediate effect on the way things are currently done in engineering? A. According to Future Workforce Study, 34 per cent of Indian workers have said that their biggest concern about AI is that they would become too reliant on it to perform day-to-day tasks. Some companies are using the opportunity to retrain employees and teach them new skill sets. For example, soon data scientists will start training machines to go beyond reviewing large data pools for insights and answers, and helping machines develop the knowledge to read between the layers. Through the ability to communicate via spoken languages, AI will be able to interpret data differently, as it will be able to break it down more succinctly, identify and share nuances that would otherwise not be seen within a large swathe of information.

Q. Which ioT technology has the power to strongly touch the lives of consumers? A. In about five to ten years, you can expect to witness the emergence of commercially-available embedded clothes, pendants and other wearables that measure body vitals non-invasively and transmit the details to remote doctors at regular intervals for diagnosis. www.EFYmAg.com

IntervIew Artificial Intelligence:

“In The Next Industrial Revolution, The Commodity will Be Ai” Venkat Mattela

founder, chairMan and chief executiVe officer, redpine SignalS inc.

We have been hearing a lot about the Internet of Things (IoT) in the last few years. What comes next? Venkat Mattela, founder, chairman and chief executive officer, Redpine Signals Inc., speaks with Dilin Anand from EFY

Q. What will be the next technological evolution after the iot? A. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the next technological step after the IoT. With the IoT you can control and monitor machines through the Internet, but it stops there. You still need to manually look at your phone to increase your room’s temperature or open an app to turn on your smart lighting system. With AI, the machine itself can figure out when to turn on or modulate devices around you based on your previous interactions with these.

Q. What is the flip side of ai controlling computing infrastructure and machines? A. The flip side is that, security and its issues will transform the usage drastically over the years. Today, humans are responsible for most hacks across the planet. However, the day we see AI grow past the tipping point, we will see hacks and cyber attacks happening 24/7 a day, simultaneously from billions of connected devices. New security systems will be developed to counter security threats from smart devices.

Q. how do we ensure security in connected devices? A. Using keys for protection is very important, and protecting keys is a challenge. We have a physically un-clonable function in hardware that even its developer cannot break www.efymag.com

into because it is based on the physics of the chip. Even if you try to copy my design, the key will not be the same. FIPS 140-2 certification is very important for securing healthcare devices, and it is enforced through a chip. No one wants a wireless connection to be made in a hospital without any security, because there is a lot of sensitive data in there.

Q. What makes ai a tipping point in technological evolution? A. In the next industrial revolution, the commodity will be AI. Any IoT-enabled factory or industry can be quickly connected to AI, which can then go through years of historic data to figure out trends that can drastically improve the efficiency and effectiveness of that production facility. The level of productivity increases or energy efficiency that can be brought in is unimaginable.

Q. What makes ai hard? A. Algorithms are domainspecific. There is no single set of algorithms for all AI problems. If you take human intelligence, it is multi-dimensional. One of these could be of arithmetic type. Computers too have an arithmetic type of thinking, with pattern recognition and so on. With a single trained dimension, a machine can beat a human because it has no distractions. With numerous wireless

options available today and applications of social networks, the amount of raw data coming into AI is incredibly high.

Q. What is a good blend of wireless technologies for iot projects today? A. Wi-Fi 2.4 and 5GHz, BLE 5.0, Bluetooth, Thread and a couple of other proprietary wireless technologies for provisioning purposes and 802.11p. Our new SoC, OctaCombo, has eight wireless technologies on the same die. Then, there is DecaCombo with ten wireless technologies on the same die that has Global Navigation Satellite System as well as LTE for IoT. A modern IoT chip has a microcontroller, wireless connectivity, low power and security features—all located on the same die.

Q. Why are single-chip and platform solutions the most popular? A. A typical IoT developer team is not like a mobile phone design and developer team. The latter has thousands of people because it intends to sell millions of units. In the IoT, at least for now, companies hope to sell tens of thousands of units, and therefore the teams are small, so they cannot afford to work with multiple vendors. That is the reason we have platforms like WyzBee, where a developer/OEM can create a complete IoT solution. electronics for you | april 2017

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Industry News Make in india

IDC predicts 3D printing to be On The Move mainstream in Asia within three years Sudhin Mathur appointed MD, The 3D printing industry was relatively quiet in 2016. A major reason for this is that despite efficiency improvements additive manufacturing is bringing to commercial markets, the consumer-facing 3D printing industry did not live up to the hype. IDC, a global market intelligence firm, is now predicting that by 2018, 3D printing will be a mainstream technology in Asia. It is also predicting market consolidation, however, with 30 per cent fewer companies. China will remain the main 3D printing market in the region. The country’s cheaper 3D printers for consumer and education markets have caused trouble

for larger American competitors. As the 3D printing industry is expanding, it has seen growth in mergers and acquisitions. IDC expects this activity to increase in the future, resulting in 30 per cent fewer 3D printing companies by 2018. This is a sign of a maturing industry. IDC also makes the prediction that 3D printing will play a pivotal role in making customised exoskeletons. Some limited trials have already seen these kinds of products put to medical use. The exoskeletons can be used to help paraplegics walk, among other uses. IDC expects the medical sector to have the strongest growth in the industry.

Idea, Vodafone India merge to create India’s largest telco Kumar Mangalam Birla owned Idea Cellular has said that its Board has approved of a merger with Vodafone India and its wholly-owned subsidiary Vodafone India Mobile Services, which will create India’s largest mobile phone company with about 400 million customers, 35 per cent customer market share and 41 per cent revenue market share. Vodafone India’s business, barring its investments in Indus Towers, will vest in the new entity, which will be renamed at a later stage. Vodafone will own 45.1 per cent in the combined entity after transferring

4.9 per cent to the promoters of Idea Cellular for ` 38.74 billion in cash post the merger. Kumar Mangalam Birla and other promoters of Idea Group will hold 26 per cent and the rest will be owned by the public. Before completion of the transaction, Vodafone and Idea intend to sell their standalone tower assets and Idea’s 11.15 per cent stake in Indus Towers to reduce leverage in the combined company. Vodafone will also explore strategic options for its 42 per cent stake in Indus Towers—potential options include either a partial or a full disposal.

TPDDL launches energy-efficient LED lights, fans Electricity distribution company Tata Power-DDL (TPDDL) has launched energy-efficient LED lighting and ceil80

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

ing fans in association with Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (under UJALA scheme) for its customers. According

Motorola India

Sudhin Mathur has been named managing director of Motorola Mobility India, and has been inducted as a full-time director on the company’s Board. He will also continue to serve in the role of executive director for Lenovo MBG India. Mathur replaces Amit Boni, who was serving as general manager for Motorola India.

TCS appoints Ramakrishnan as CFO Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has appointed V. Ramakrishnan as chief financial officer. He takes over from Rajesh Gopinathan, who has been appointed as chief executive officer and managing director. Ramakrishnan joined TCS in 1999 and served as finance head of TCS North America for seven years. Recently, he was responsible for financial controllership of TCS subsidiaries and various merger and acquisitions integration initiatives.

Manu Kumar Jain is vice president at Xiaomi Manu Kumar Jain, who was leading Xiaomi’s India operations until last month, has been promoted to the post of vice president of Xiaomi. The development came after Hugo Barra, Xiaomi’s global vice president, announced his decision to leave the company.

Snapdeal’s VP engineering quits Amitava Ghosh, vice president engineering at Snapdeal, is on his way out. Ghosh, a former tech lead at taxi aggregator TaxiForSure, joined Snapdeal in August 2015. He was based out of the etailer’s Bengaluru office. www.EFYmAg.com

Industry news Calendar of Forthcoming Electronics Fairs/Exhibitions/Seminars/Events Name, Date and Venue

Topics

Contact address for details

Chinese Information Technology Expo (CITE) April 9-11, 2017 Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, Shenzhen, China

Organised by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and The Municipal Government of Shenzhen, CITE is designed to be a national platform for the nextgeneration information technology industry

The Organizing Committee of CITE Website: www.citexpo.org/en

Xelerate India 2017 April 11-12, 2017 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

Exhibition and summit on the startup ecosystem

Xelerate India 2017 Website: http://xelerateindia.com/

Hong Kong Electronics Fair (spring edition) April 13-16, 2017 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong

Exhibition for leading-edge electronics products

Hong Kong Electronics Fair Website: http://m.hktdc.com/fair/ hkelectronicsfairse-en/HKTDC-HongKong-Electronics-Fair-Spring-Edition.html

Hannover Messe 2017 April 24-28, 2017 Hannover, Germany

Trade fair for industrial technology

Hannover Messe 2017 Website: http://www.hannovermesse. de/home

Windergy India 2017 International Conference & Exhibition April 25-27, 2017 The Ashok, New Delhi

Wind power event in India that provides networking opportunity for members of the wind industry

Windergy India 2017 Website: www.windergy.in

Electronic Packaging Seminar April 27-28, 2017 MRDG Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

Seminar on electronic packaging - thermal and mechanical design, and product engineering of electronics systems

ProSIM Website: http://pro-sim.com/upcomingevents/electronics-packaging-seminar/

Consumer Electronics China (CE China) May 4-6, 2017

Global IFA event, designed to be China’s premier trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances brands in China

Berlin Exhibition (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd [email protected]

to sources at TPDDL, which serves the north and north-western parts of New Delhi, LED lighting products and BEE five-star ceiling fans will be offered to its consumers at special discounted rates. A nine-watt LED bulb will be available for ` 65, while a 20-watt LED tubelight will cost ` 230. Also, BEE five-star rated ceiling fans will be available for ` 1150 per piece, TPDDL sources have said in a statement. TPDDL’s main aim is to increase the penetration of energy-efficient LED lighting products and ceiling fans among its customer base, which will result in widespread energy savings and a reduction in electricity bills. “Energy-efficient products will come with competitive pricing and a warranty. This will lead to efficient load management and increase public awareness about energy-efficient technologies,” the company spokesperson has said in a statement.

China Coil Winding and Electronic Professional exhibition for small motor, Transformer Expo 2017 magnetic material, electronic transformer, coil May 18-20, 2017 winding and insulation material Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, China

Wise Exhibition (Guangdong) Co. Ltd Website: www.motor-expo.cn/En/

Computex Taipei 2017 May 30-June 3, 2017 Taipei, Taiwan

B2B ICT/Internet of Things trade show

Computex Taipei organising team Website: http://www.computextaipei. com.tw

E3 2017 June 13-15, 2017 Los Angeles, California, USA

Annual video game conference and show

Entertainment Software Association Website: www.e3expo.com

TechXLR8 June 13-15, 2017 ExCeL, London, UK

Festival of technology for a journey between networks, tech and consumer services

TechXLR8 Website: https://tmt.knect365.com

IFA 2017 September 1-6, 2017 Berlin, Germany

Meeting place for key retailers, buyers, and experts from the consumer electronics industry and the media

The German Association for Entertainment and Communications Electronics and Messe Berlin Website: http://b2b.ifa-berlin.com

AI World 2017 September 18-20, 2017 Boston, USA

Artificial intelligence (AI) world conference and expo

AI World 2017 Website: https://aiworld.com

TechXLR8 Asia October 2-4, 2017 Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Festival of technology that brings together Asia’s telco and tech ecosystem to discover technologies that are enabling and shaping our connected future

TechXLR8 Asia Website: https://tmt.knect365.com/ techxlr8-asia/

Taitronics Taipei October 11-14, 2017 Taipei, Taiwan

International trade fair for electronics and electronic components

Taiwan External Trade Development Council Website: http://www.taitra.org.tw/

Open Source India October 13-14, 2017 NIMHANS Convention Center, Bengaluru, India

Asia’s annual convention to celebrate open source computing

Open Source India Website: http://opensourceindia.in/ osidays/

Big Data London November 15-16, 2017 Olympia, London, UK

The UK’S largest data and analytics event

Big Data London Website: http://bigdataldn.com/

ELEXCON 2017 December 21-23, 2017 Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, China

Annual expo for the electronics industry based in Shenzhen

ELEXCON 2017 Website: www.elexcon.com/elexcon/en

Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) has received cumulative orders from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal for about 25 million LED lamps. It is also in talks with leading banks in India for replacing air-conditioners at ATMs. EESL MD, Saurabh Kumar, has said that the PSU has brought down the prices to ` 38 for a nine-watt lamp, from ` 310, which was the cost of the bulb in 2014. He has also said that EESL would be distributing ten million lamps each in Sri Lanka and Nepal, and another one million in Bhutan. The company plans to start work on these exports in the next three to six months, beginning with Bangladesh.

NEPCON Japan January 17-19, 2018 Tokyo Big Sight, Japan

Asia’s leading exhibition for electronics design, R&D and manufacturing technology

Reed Exhibitions Japan Ltd Website: http://www.nepconjapan.jp/en/

Samsung launches TVs with quantum dot technology

Since this information is subject to change, all those interested are advised to ascertain the details from the organisers before making any commitment.

www.EFYmAg.com

EESL to export LEDs to Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

Samsung Electronics Co. has launched a new line-up of highElEctronics For You | April 2017

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Snippets

Industry news

Digital India responsibility assigned to MeitY The government’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has been assigned the responsibility of implementation and expansion of the government’s Digital India initiative. Earlier, implementation of the initiative was handled by a committee spearheaded by Niti Aayog chief executive officer, Amitabh Kant. Hereafter, Prime Minister’s Office has advised the ministry to administer all matters related to further expansion of the digital payments initiative.

CAIT, MeitY join hands to raise awareness about digital payments The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and MeitY, government of India, have jointly launched a national campaign to promote the adoption of electronic payments in line with Prime Minister’s vision of digital India and a less-cash economy. The campaign will be jointly conducted by CAIT and NIELIT, a body under MeitY. During the campaign, five regional conferences, 30 state-level conferences and 100 Digidhan camps will be organised in different parts of the country.

CoreEL Technologies opens new 3D printing experience centre in Bengaluru CoreEL Technologies India Pvt Ltd, a customer application-specific products and solutions company and a channel partner of Stratasys India, subsidiary of Stratasys— the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, have announced the opening of their new 3D printing experience centre in Bengaluru. The experience centre has been established to offer professional 3D printing solutions, additive manufacturing application consultations and customer services to support local organisations throughout their design and manufacturing workflows.

Wipro joins LoRa Alliance to accelerate IoT deployments Wipro has become a member of LoRa Alliance, one of the fastest growing Internet of Things (IoT) alliances with over 400 members. This membership will help Wipro accelerate its IoT solution deployments, using Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) technology for customers across industry sectors such as energy, utilities, natural resources, smart cities, ports and logistics.

Rohde & Schwarz, MediaTek collaboration to test concepts for 5G Rohde & Schwarz and MediaTek have announced their collaboration on test concepts for 5G wireless communication technologies. The purpose of this cooperation is to be strategic partners in driving 5G developments in several areas including mm-Waves for 5G radio access and over-the-air testing concepts for massive MIMO antenna arrays.

NTPC installs India’s largest floating solar PV plant NTPC has started power generation from India’s largest floating solar power plant at Kayamkulam in Kerala. The 100kWp floating solar-generation plant, largest of its kind in India, was indigenously developed as a part of Make In India initiative, at Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant in Kerala’s Kayamkulam district. Solar panels mounted on floating boards that hold these in place save land usage and have been found to be more efficient than the ones installed on land.

Samsung, Apple top global semiconductor buyers’ list in 2016: Gartner Representing 18.2 per cent of the total worldwide market, Samsung Electronics and Apple remained the top two semiconductor chip buyers in 2016, according to market research firm, Gartner. The tech giants together consumed US$ 61.7 billion worth of semiconductors in 2016—an increase of US$ 0.4 billion from 2015.

NEO Innovations wins GR PEACH Design Contest India The ‘Mini Gateway For Automation And Security’ project by NEO Innovations, Hyderabad, has bagged the first prize in GR Peach Design Contest India 2016. The contest was organised by Renesas Electronics in association with EFY Group. MBCET, Trivandrum, and Sri Ehwar College Of Engineering, Coimbatore, have landed the second and third positions, respectively.

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April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

tech televisions using quantum dot technology, as it seeks to strengthen its market share in the global premium TV market. Quantum dot TVs offer better picture quality and cheaper manufacturing costs than organic light-emitting diode TVs. At the global launch event for the premium TVs in Paris, the electronics giant stated that the new products demonstrated Samsung’s leadership in defining the future of home entertainment with advanced cuttingedge technology. As per the statement given by Samsung’s representative, the new QLED TVs take quantum dot technology to the next level with advancements in light efficiency, stability and a wider colour spectrum.

Cisco launches first Made In India product In October 2016, networking giant Cisco had announced the launch of its India manufacturing operations in Pune. The company had stated that it would manufacture and roll out a diverse product portfolio in India to support the government’s Make in India initiative and use India manufacturing operations to produce and ship orders for customers in India as well as for testing, development, logistics and in-house repair capabilities. Cisco has handed over its first Made In India product, a router, to minister for electronics and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad. The new product is among the most popular in Cisco’s core switching portfolio globally. It is fundamental to network connectivity, a key enabler to the vision of Digital India, and can be used by small and medium businesses across multiple industries. www.EFYmAg.com

make in india Viewpoint:

Switching From Service To value-added economy

I P.S. Deodhar is former chairman, Electronics Commission of India, and advisor to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi

www.efymag.com

am very happy ever since I found out that even the USA would be following India in giving top priority to local value addition through manufacturing and create some real wealth. At last, the large section of people both in India and the USA, who were left out of national economic growth in the past decades, may, over a period of time, have jobs and, thus, a comfortable life, as valueadded economy again takes a firm grip and focuses on Make in India or now Make in USA. It is clear that service economy, over the last few decades, has made the rich richer, and the promised trickle down of wealth among the have-nots has not happened, except in India’s large black economy. Now, we can hopefully look forward to improving our poor classes, economically and socially, as more thoughtful government policies promote a value-added economy vigorously to grow engineering and agricultural manufacturing sector that would create real wealth and more jobs necessary to create it. Owing to the fact that the USA joins India in changing its primary focus of economic growth on a valued-added

economy rather than a service economy, I am sure there would be more economists shifting gear and coming forward to prove the merits of the value-added approach for inclusive economic growth of a nation. The famous anti-media American lawyer Charles Harder, who is now President Donald Trump’s lawyer, is going after The New York Times for defamation. He published the book Will we ever learn? in 2009, in which he very effectively made a strong case against service economy. He wrote, “Today, our leaders are realising that the much heralded service industry is just a poker game that shuffles the money but does not create real wealth. Growing unemployment has made them realise that only value-added activities such as mining, manufacturing and agriculture create real wealth. Any other activity is essentially parasitic.” He argued that value-added activities within a country are its real growth engines. Without their growth you cannot create any form of money supply that retains value. This is why US Dollar and Indian Rupee have continuously crumpled in value in the last three decades. Money is no more tied to real wealth.

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make in india It is easy for many of us to agree with Harder’s observation that US Dollar and Indian Rupee, which have no backing of any kind, have been created by the two governments to suit their economic needs. It is very important in case of US Dollar since it is a global currency, and huge amount of black money and drug money globally is in US Dollar bills. There are several books written on US Federal Reserve System that

only through a value-added economy. Wealth is created at every stage of converting raw materials to the finished product. A piece of steel turned and milled into a machine part hugely grows in its value depending on the design, precision, skill needed and process complexity. Real new wealth is also created in agriculture when farmers create the most important wealth in the form of food grains, vegetables, fruits and the like. The inputs are

have established various related facts in great detail. The truth is that, the wealth created by printing money is virtual, since it is created from nothing. Harder says, “Nobody really knows for certain what Note means.” The 1855 Statement attributed to US President Abraham Lincoln highlights the truth about creating wealth within the country. He said, “When we import foreign goods like rails for our railroads from the UK, we get the goods and the UK gets our money. However, when we make those rails within the country, our country gets the rails, our people get the jobs to make these and our money remains within the country.” Countries can make real wealth

seeds, soil, water and a lot of hard work by our farmers. Wealth creation by the service industry is like one in a Poker game where people come with money and in the end someone clever and rich takes it all away. Money, however, remains the same. That is how, in a service economy, the rich become richer at the cost of the rest.

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Where India got it all wrong It is now 25 years since former Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, while he was Finance Minister, embraced the so-called service economy, shifting the country’s focus away from the traditional value-added economy. Since then the Indian manufacturing industry has suffered a slow and painful

death. It is often said that Dr Singh was obliged to follow the directives of global financial institutions such as The World Bank and International Monetary Fund, because the country was on the brink of economic crisis. However, he has been given the credit for it ever since, and he accepts it by being silent. Indian manufacturing, which was then firmly and severely controlled by License Permit Raj, was already weak and producing poorquality goods. Large manufacturing businesses were largely in the hands of traders and not technologists or engineers. Both innovation and quality were simply being ignored. Progressively-deteriorating quality of Indian cars of those times are some examples. These monopolies were in every sense government-sponsored. I have seen many of these businessmen spending more time lobbying and partying in New Delhi than be on their shop floors. They managed to protect their big industries from local and foreign competition in connivance with ministers and government bureaucrats. Most SMEs were, however, owned by technical or professional entrepreneurs, but their hands were tied due to corrupt Inspector Raj, artificial shortages created by hoarders and high cost of materials due to astronomically high import tariffs. Support infrastructure, essential for industrial efficiency, was in a very poor state, to say the least. Then one fine day, Narsimha Rao government made a complete about-turn on the advice of his finance minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and industrial licensing was abandoned in one stroke. Import of all types of goods was allowed freely and import tariffs were reduced to a fraction. Almost overnight, domestic manufacturing industry and SMEs were incapacitated and recklessly sacrificed without a second thought. I know it first-hand since I have a strong SME of my own, which www.efymag.com

make in india was then 30 years old. I also had a misfortune for about eight years of a helpless stay in New Delhi (1982 -1989) as electronics advisor to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. So I knew how New Delhi worked. The move to scrap industrial licensing, and allow imports with WTO-prescribed small duties, however, made the trader community very happy. Plane loads were making frequent visits to China and flooding our markets. Interestingly, India was known in China as a cheapgoods buyer with no concern for quality. Consumers were also happy since they got imported, attractively-packed products with multiple choices. Politicians and bureaucrats who adopted the new economic policies did not realise that in the process the country had almost completely stopped creating real wealth through value addition. There were better ways to drop industrial licensing and use it for strengthening the manufacturing industry in the country. I had done so in 1983 by successfully persuading former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to abandon industrial licensing for the consumer electronics sector. But I had taken the essential precautions that were not taken by the government in 1991. With that policy change, we attracted fresh investments to set up new manufacturing industries, and used that to make market competitive, gave choices to consumers, helped improve product quality due to increased competition and made product prices more competitive. Many new television brands such as BPL, Sharp, Videocon, Onida, Uptron, HC and ET&T were competing with Samsung and Philips, and some grew bigger than these foreign brands. We were successful in increasing value addition many fold by allowing many new industries to start. Sector employment grew ten folds www.efymag.com

by 1988. Records clearly show that manufacturing output of consumer electronics and its sales grew amazingly—eight times in the six years that I was with Rajiv Gandhi till he lost the 1989 general elections in December that year. This successful model of encouraging local manufacturing by removing industrial licensing was completely ignored. My dear friend, late Dr Abid Hussain, a renowned Indian economist and India’s ambassador to the USA from 1990 to 1992, often felt sorry that our model was ignored.

In the USA, Nixon changed the game in early 1970s The story in the USA is no different from India, as they too ignored the policy to grow its national economy through high local value addition. Former US President Richard Nixon, along with large multinationals, saw great profits by shifting production to low-cost countries in the East. He even went to China to woo former chairman of the Communist Party of China, Mao Zedong, and use their lowest-cost bonded labour with guaranteed industrial peace. Nixon administration allowed multinationals to outsource everything possible; first to Taiwan and South Korea and then to Mao’s communist China. The US government, persuaded by multinationals, even gave up its deep hatred for communism. Money, thus, overpowered that country’s morals. China’s cheapest labour was important for the profitmongering multinationals. Americans are no match to Chinese when it comes to looking far. China used this golden opportunity to get their people free training in modern material processes, high-quality production and variety of hi-tech insights. In the process China, Taiwan and South Korea got for free every kind of material and process technologies. Engineering

knowhow of every kind came their way completely free of cost. South Koreans, Taiwanese and Chinese not only absorbed these skills and knowledge like a dry sponge, today the Chinese are adding their own innovation and enterprise. China is now mighty, self-sufficient and has a good work culture for achieving its technological supremacy. One can see how the life in the USA has progressively changed dramatically since the early 1970s. President Nixon was responsible for slowly killing that country’s manufacturing industry, SMEs and jobs. The then American businesses gave huge personal credits and loans in place of salaries and made its people lazy and greedy shoppers. Money was made the centrepiece of American life. Printing Dollar bills took care of the economy. Thus, the USA completely moved away from the value-added economy, except for manufacturing arms, military gear and other selected areas. If Nixon is given credit for enforcing service economy in the USA, in India it should go to Dr Singh, who was India’s economic and political boss for most of the last 25 years. During that time, Indian National Congress abandoned its left-leaning economic postures and took to capitalism. It promoted consumerism for fast GDP growth. Poverty removal just remained a slogan as its leaders took to easy ways to get their clan rich. The new US President who took over in January has his mandate on the promise of rebuilding country’s manufacturing industry and recreate the jobs lost during the last decades. The world is realising that creating real wealth through local value addition is the right way for national development, since value-added economic growth involves a much larger number of people, especially the poor and the middle class. electronics for you | april 2017

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make in india Market Survey:

IndIan PCB Industry: Opportunities And Challenges

P Sudeshna Das is senior executive editor at EFY. She prepared this article with inputs from Shruti Mishra and Baishakhi Dutta, business journalists at EFY

esTImaTed

Automotive Mobile phones Strategic Industrial Telecom Consumer electronics LED lighting Computer hardware Total (Source: ELCINA)

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rinted circuit boards (PCBs) are deployed in almost all electronic products, ranging from consumer gadgets such as PCs, tablets, smartphones and gaming consoles to industrial and high-tech products in strategic and medical electronics domains. Considering the importance of the PCB industry in the electronics manufacturing ecosystem and the evolution of the electronics industry’s ecosystem over the last one year with respect to implementation of government policies, investment climate, government duties and consumer demand, we decided to take a comprehensive look at the Indian PCB industry to understand how the industry has been shaping up. How will the Indian PCB industry grow? What will drive its growth, and what will hinder it? While trying to figure out answers to such questions, we got some insights from Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA) and leading veterans in the Indian PCB industry. Here is a collation of the same.

Methodology Representatives from seven companies made themselves available for this survey. It has to be noted that this sample is a microcosm of India’s PCB sector. Survey participants were asked standard questions regarding the following aspects: 1. Overall growth expected from the PCB industry in FY 2017-18 2. Expected growth percentage 3. Major demand-generating sectors 4. Demand/supply gap in the Indian PCB industry 5. Challenges faced by PCB manufacturers in India 6. Possibilities of inorganic growth through mergers and acquisitions Responses obtained from the interviews were then collated and analysed, before the results were presented in this report.

pated to reach US$ 400 billion in 2022, with domestic manufacturing climbing to over US$ 100 billion. This will create immense scope for the PCB market. According to an ELCINA study, domestic market demand for PCBs will grow at a CAGR of 20.56 per cent over the period Market at a glance 2015-20, and will reach over US$ 6 billion by 2020 from the current level of US$ 2.38 The Indian electronics market is one of the billion (Table I). fastest growing in the world and is anticiCurrently, only 35 per cent of this demand is met by local manufacturers. And Table I for the remaining 65 per cent, India is still demand In The IndIan PCb markeT dependent on imports. Current demand (Us$ mIllIon) of US$ 2.38 billion represents the demand CaGr 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 for all types of PCBs, and includes both 2015-2020 bare-board and populated PCBs. Current 34.82% 110 140 240 340 490 market size for bare-board PCBs is US$ 23.58%* * 310 408 612 723 1.2 billion, and only 30 per cent of this 21.64% 214 257 310 422 570 demand is being met by local PCB manu17.99% 404 467 617 808 924 facturers. The remaining 70 per cent of the PCBs are imported. 16.34% 221 264 272 382 471 The Indian market is slightly different 16.15% 790 950 1140 1380 1670 from the rest of the globe. Globally, the 16.00% 400 470 570 690 840 market for flexible circuits is expected to 10.93% 250 280 310 360 420 grow much faster than that for rigid PCBs, 20.65% 2389 3138 3867 4994 6108 since the former can facilitate form factor reduction and eliminate connectors.

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

www.EFYmAg.com

make in india Table II

GrowTh drIvers of The IndIan PCb markeT segment

value

details

Consumer electronics

US$ 1670 million+

• Increasing demand for flat TVs (LED and LCD) is primarily driving the growth of this segment. • With government directives to digitise entire pay TV network including cable TV, the set-top box (STB) market has gained significant momentum. • Though only double-sided and multi-layered PCBs are required for STBs, which are within India’s capability, PCBs are imported in more than 90 per cent cases. • In spite of having TV production units here, local PCB manufacturers fail to deliver the required volume.

Mobile phones

US$ 723 million+

• 88.4 million smartphones are expected to be sold in India in 2015-16. • Leading mobile set manufacturers like Samsung, Micromax, Lenovo, Xiaomi, Karbonn and HTC will be having their manufacturing base in India soon. • Though today’s mobile phones need complex, higher layer count PCBs and HDIs that cannot be met by local capability, the immediate opportunity Indian manufacturers can grab is the mobile charger market that needs simple single- and double-sided PCBs.

Computer hardware

US$ 420 million+

• Despite having a US$ 5 billion strong PC market, the Indian PCB market has limited opportunities in this segment so far, because no component-level manufacturing is happening in India for computers/PCs. • Apart from PCs, printers, memory cards and USB drives also need PCB in this segment, which have huge domestic production potential. • HP, Lenovo, Samsung and Acer either have their production units here in India or source from EMs. If local PCB manufacturers build in the technical capability of providing higher-layer microvia technology and flexible circuits, the huge domestic market can be captured.

Telecom

US$ 471 million+

• Rising tele-density in India is leading to higher demand for telecom equipment. By 2020, domestic production of telecom equipment would be US$ 9.2 billion. • In spite of being one of the large consumers of PCBs, Indian telecom industry is mostly dependent on imports. • The Department of Telecom (DoT) is focusing more on the growth of local manufacturing of telecom equipment that can lead to more opportunities for local PCB manufacturers.

Industrial electronics

US$ 924 million+

• There has been an increased demand for automation and process control. • Further demand for industrial electronics is expected to be driven by its applications in areas such as artificial intelligence and robotics. • Local PCB manufacturers are supplying the demand for this sector currently; however, need to upgrade their volume and technology to become sole provider in future.

Strategic

US$ 570 million+

• Almost everything that military and defence uses—starting from weapon to other equipment or even clothing—have very sophisticated electronics integrated on it. And PCB is one basic requirement for all these uses. • Since Indian defence manufacturing has been identified as a priority sector in Make in India initiative and focus is on using indigenous products/components, this would spur more demand for local PCBs.

Automotive

US$ 490 million+

• The booming Indian automotive industry is driving the demand for automotive electronics. • With increasing digitisation of automobile controls, automotive electronics will continue to grow and so will the market for PCB for auto components. • Electronic devices constitute up to 25 to 30 per cent of auto component costs. This will offer a huge opportunity for automotive PCBs. • Indian manufacturers already have the technical capability for few applications. They need to develop competency for advanced auto applications.

LED lighting

US$ 840 million+

• Indian LED lighting market is forecasted to reach US$ 20.9 billion by 2020. • Key growth drivers are: (a) declining LED prices, (b) favourable government initiatives to provide LED lilghts at subsidised cost and LED installation projects, and (c) increasing awareness. • Indian PCB manufacturers have the capability of meeting complete demand of metal-core PCBs for LEDs. • However, more than 90 per cent requirements are being met through import—local manufacturers are losing out to cheap Chinese PCBs.

However, Indian PCB manufacturers are mostly focused on singlesided, double-sided and multi-layered PCBs with a layer count of four to six, in most cases. A majority of Indian manufacturers adopt the high-mix, medium-volume strategy where different types of PCBs are manufactured in low to medium volumes. There are around 200 PCB www.EFYmAg.com

42.8%

14.3%

Up to 5% growth 5-10% growth

28.6%

10-15% growth 15-20% growth

14.3%

Fig. 1: Expected growth of the Indian PCB industry in FY 2017-18

manufacturers in India—more than 60 per cent of them are very small and unorganised. All survey participants feel that there is a demand-supply gap in the ecosystem as imports play a significant role in meeting local demand for PCBs. This does not bode well for the economic health of the industry in the long term. Survey ElEctronics For You | April 2017

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make in india Major contributors to this report 100% 57% 45% 0

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Automotive LED lighting Industrial electronics

Fig. 2: Top three growth drivers of the PCB industry

57% 55% 55% 0

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Inefficient supply chain for raw materials High capex requirements Lack of access to new technology and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities

Fig. 3: Top three challenges hampering the growth of PCB manufacturing in India

42.9% Yes No

57.1%

Fig. 4: Will the industry grow inorganically?

participants have also unanimously stated that the industry is poised for growth during FY 2017-18. However, there are mixed opinions about the percentage of expected growth (Fig. 1).

Growth drivers Considering the estimated demand till 2020 (Table I), growth of the PCB market will most likely be driven by the consumer electronics segment, followed by requirements from industrial and LED lighting segments. Survey participants, however, feel that demand scenario in 201788

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

      

Abhay B. Doshi, managing director, Fine-Line Circuits Ltd Abhijit Tamhankar, director, Shogini Technoarts Anil Kumar Muniswamy, managing director, SLN Technologies Pvt Ltd B.H. Patel, chairman, Meena Circuits Murali Datla, chief operating officer, Sulakshana Circuits Ltd N.K. Jain, vice president - commercial, BCC Fuba India Ltd Paresh Vasani, managing director, PCB Power

18 may differ slightly from the forecast indicated in Table II. According to them, the automotive industry, LED lighting and industrial electronics will be the major growth drivers (Fig. 2). Mobile phones, consumer electronics devices and broadcast and telecommunication equipment will also contribute significantly in demand generation. Miniaturisation of semiconductor devices and enhanced functionality in electronic products is expected to drive the demand for more complex PCBs with a higher number of layers, in large volumes. PCB manufacturers in the country mostly fall into the following segments: 1. Large-volume manufacturers (primarily double-sided PCB makers and a few who produce a good amount of multi-layered PCBs) 2. Small-volume manufacturers (mostly double-sided PCB makers and a few who produce multi-layered PCBs) 3. Small-volume fast-delivery manufacturers (mostly double-sided PCB makers and a few who produce multi-layered PCBs) 4. Small-volume complex-design PCB manufacturers The survey participants expect growth in the second, third and fourth categories. Some of the survey participants have indicated the possibility of demand arising out of advances in technology such as high-density interconnection. This enables more interconnection functions per unit area, which will positively impact the market for advanced-level applications. In addition, the recent

thrust towards indigenisation in strategic electronics manufacturing is likely to fuel the demand for high-grade, multi-layered PCBs.

Challenges faced by the industry Currently, output of the Indian PCB industry is less than one per cent of the total global capacity. According to survey participants, top challenges (Fig. 3) that PCB manufacturers in the country face are: 1. Inefficient supply chain for raw materials 2. High capex requirements 3. Lack of access to new technology and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities Other challenges include: 1. Unfair playing field, since companies from competing countries have access to finance at much lower costs 2. Logistics inefficiencies and infrastructural bottlenecks, resulting in longer turnaround time frames and higher costs 3. Conflicting policies in operation across various levels within the electronics industry, from the components segment to finished products An inefficient supply chain and non-availability of a significant percentage of critical raw materials increase inventory costs. Capital costs also go up due to the very high cost of finance in India—both for capital investments as well as for working capital. The very low capital-output ratio in the PCB industry entails the need for huge investments and high interest costs. Thus, profitability is www.EFYmAg.com

make in india an issue. Manufacturers are not able to invest in new equipment, most of which is imported. Survey participants also mention that lifespan of the typical PCB manufacturing equipment used today is a maximum of four years, after which these tend to become redundant. Infrastructural challenges such as insufficient clean water and uninterrupted power, a limited number of developed industrial parks and lack of an ecosystem for raw materials are some hindrances for the PCB industry. There is also a need for huge investments in creating and maintaining effluent treatment facilities, which is one of the major challenges for this industry.

Growing inorganically More than half of the survey participants believe that inorganic growth can play a major role in this segment (Fig. 4), either through mergers and acquisitions or through joint ventures. Survey participants who spoke positively about inorganic growth feel that, since most manufacturers in the country find it challenging to make huge investments required to produce PCBs for high-tech products like set-top boxes and mobile handsets in large volumes, any kind of partnership with foreign companies could help Indian firms manufacture high-tech PCBs via technology transfer.

Moving forward Despite limitations like an inefficient supply chain, capital-intensive nature of the industry, low investment-to-sales ratio, and logistics and infrastructural issues, the Indian PCB industry should be able to witness sustainable growth if the government can provide a level playing field. Survey respondents feel that the industry does not need nurturing or subsidies. Instead, the government should be a catalyst for growth. They cite the example of the Indian automotive industry where the government discourages automotive imports with its high duty structures and complicated registration processes, which is compelling automotive companies to manufacture in India, resulting in a proper manufacturing ecosystem. Similar models can be replicated for PCBs and other electronic components as well. Given that there is a huge domestic demand for electronic products, such a move will help not just the PCB industry but the entire electronics ecosystem to achieve long-term sustainable growth in line with the government’s Make in India initiative. www.EFYmAg.com

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New Products Make in india

test & measurement Digital multimeter

Oscilloscopes

The new Testo 760 digital multimeter family comprises three models for all electrical measuring tasks. Testo 760-1 is for daily measuring tasks. Testo 760-2 has a larger current measurement range, trms measurement and a low-pass filter for VFD output voltage measurements accurately. Testo 760-3 has a voltage range of up to 1000V, along with higher measuring ranges for frequency and capacitance.

Keysight has announced ultra-low-cost InfiniiVision 1000 X-Series oscilloscopes that have 50MHz to 100MHz models featuring Keysight’s MegaZoom IV custom ASIC technology, which enables 50,000 waveforms per second update rate. This makes it easier to see random and infrequent anomalies. The scopes have sampling rate of up to 2GSa/s and come with two probes. These use segmented memory capability to maximise memory depth while helping the scope test faster.

Testo India Pvt Ltd www.testo.in

Power and harmonics analyser Meco’s latest, model 5850, is ideal for carrying out vigilance checks, surveys and audits. It has a large dot-matrix LCD display to monitor energy, active power, apparent and reactive power, power factor, energy, tru-rms value, AC current, and average and maximum demand with programmable time interval and CTR and PTR. Meco Instruments Pvt Ltd www.mecoinst.com

Multichannel power probe The new R&S RT-ZVC multichannel power probe, in combination with R&S CMW radio communication tester, monitors the power consumption of chipsets, radio modules and mobile devices. It can correlate battery consumption data with RF signaling events. And it accomplishes this with a measurement resolution of 18 bits, making measurements in the nano-ampere range possible. Rohde & Schwarz India Pvt Ltd www.rohde-schwarz.com

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overall power consumption. These offer 16kB flash, 256B EEPROM and 2kB RAM in 14-, 20- and 24-pin packages. Microchip Technology Inc. www.microchip.com

DC/DC converter

Keysight Technologies www.keysight.com

RECOM´s new converters REC3A, REC5A and REC6A have a built-in EMC filter to meet EN55022, class A. Class B can be achieved with a small capacitor. The compact DIP24 modules provide regulated 5V DC output and can be operated on zero per cent minimum load. The converters can be operated in a wide temperature range of -40°C to +100°C.

Thermal imaging cameras

RECOM Power www.recom-power.com

FLIR Systems has announced Exx-Series advanced thermal imaging cameras for electrical, mechanical and building applications: FLIR E75, E85 and E95. The Wi-Fienabled Exx-Series features intelligent interchangeable lenses, laser-assisted autofocus modes and area measurement functionality, improvements to FLIR’s patented MSX imaging technology and a larger touchscreen. These features, combined with increased sensitivity and increased native resolution, will help professionals identify hot spots or building deficiencies before potential problems become expensive repairs. FLIR Systems India Pvt Ltd www.flir.in

COmPOnents Microcontrollers The new ATtiny1617 series of microcontrollers feature core independent peripherals, which help increase system throughput while lowering

TVS diode arrays Littelfuse has introduced a series of three unidirectional TVS diode arrays in 01005 flip-chip packages. These can withstand multiple ESD events without wearout or degradation. Their low nominal capacitance (0.35pF) make these ideal for interfaces running at high data rates approaching 5GHz clock speeds. Littelfuse Inc. www.littelfuse.com

Digital-to-analogue converter TI’s new digital-to-analogue converter combines precision performance with simpler power-supply design. The 16-bit DAC8775 operates from a single, wide 12V to 36V power rail, leveraging an integrated buck/ boost converter to generate all required internal power supplies to save time, cost and significant board space. Texas Instruments Inc. www.ti.com www.EFYmAg.com

New Products LCD driver ROHM Group company LAPIS Semiconductor has launched 32-bit microcontrollers, ideal for data loggers used in logistics for acquisition and management of environmental information during package shipment. The ML630Q464/466 integrate all major functions required for data logging, data acquisition, data display and PDF file generation on a single chip. ROHM Semiconductor India Pvt Ltd www.rohm.com

Graphic blue LCD The newly-launched graphic blue LCD is used for displaying alphanumeric characters and other kinds of simple graphics. The LCD has optimum durability and high compatibility with various modern devices such as ports and USB. Rajguru Electronics www.rajguruelectronics.com

Accelerometer ST’s LIS2DW12 3-axis accelerometer delivers superior accuracy, flexibility and energy savings by supporting multiple low-power and low-noise settings. A new member of ST’s low-power, highperformance MEMS product family, LIS2DW12 has 16-bit output and can be set to prioritise low power consumption or low-noise performance. STMicroelectronics www.st.com

Boost regulator With the industry’s highest efficiency and lowest quiescent current of only 300nA, the new MAX17222 nanoPower boost regulator from Maxim Integrated enables the longest battery life in the smallest form factor for wearable and consumer IoT designs. The 0.4V to 5.5V input, 1.8V to 5V output boost regulator with 500mA input current limit reduces solution size by up to 50 www.EFYmAg.com

per cent compared to similar products. Maxim Integrated Products www.maximintegrated.com

LEDs Citizen, Japan, has introduced PSL 445 and PSL 440. While PSL 445 high-power SMD package boasts an efficacy of 161lm/watt (at Tj=85°C), PSL 440’s tiny LES packs a lumen density of 107lm/mm². While PSL 445 is good for outdoor applications, PSL 440 helps design products with narrowbeam spot requirements. Era Electro Devices [email protected]

mIsCeLLaneOus Quad-band GSM/GPRS modem This new device has features like: • RS232 port • Operating voltage of 5-12V • Standard AT commands • Integrated TCP/IP protocol • Onboard SMA connector • GPRS uplink and downlink transfer speed up to 85kbps

Flux remover MG Chemicals’ new heavy-duty flux remover is specially formulated to dissolve and remove the most stubborn, encrusted, hard, bakedon fluxes and residues left on parts after soldering. It penetrates quickly to remove non-ionic and ionic contaminants left on the non-component side circuit boards. Progressive Engineers 022-25006760

Power supplies Kusam-Meco has introduced a series of DCregulated power supplies. These have high stability, digital display and low ripple, and are available with output voltage variable from 0-30V in different capacity 2A, 3A, 5A and 10A, and single- and dual-channel outputs. Kusam Electrical Industries Ltd www.kusamelectrical.com, www.kusam-meco.co.in

CRM application suite

Pulraj Electronics Pvt Ltd www.pulraj.com

*astTECS has launched *astCRM, a complete suite of open source CRM application, that enables enterprises to manage all customer engagement needs. With *astCRM, enterprises can enhance their capabilities and engage more efficiently with their customer base intensifying focus on productivity.

Software-defined radios

*astTECS www.asttecs.com

Specifically designed for OTA signal acquisition and analysis, the new USRP-2945 and USRP-2955 softwaredefined radios feature a two-stage superheterodyne architecture, extensive frequency range and 80MHz of instantaneous bandwidth per channel. With four independent receiver channels that support local oscillator sharing for phase coherency, the devices are ideal for spectrum monitoring, signals intelligence and direction finding applications. National Instruments www.ni.com

Automatic pull winding machine The new pull winding machine (HT-500) is designed to handle windings with fewer turns and critical inner diameters. These machines are meant for high-volume production. Some features are: • Program cascading • Single- and twin-wire multilayer winding • Precision hybrid stepper motor-driven wire loop arm and core indexing • Wire gripping, core indexing and hook operation Electromech www.electromechindia.com ElEctronics For You | April 2017

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First Look estyle

EFY BuREau

Home theatre system from Sony

LeEco smart TVs launched in India

Fill the room with 5.1 channels of real surround sound

With next-generation technology and a design to go with the most lavish of lifestyles

Sony HT-RT3 is a 12.9cm (5.1-inch) surround sound bar system with an external subwoofer that ensures purest movie sound. HT-RT3 comes with a 5-master digital amplifier for refined and clear sound quality. It is powered with a USB audio playback and easy Bluetooth connectivity with NFC one-touch. The system is almost ready to go, straight out of the box. Just plug it in, wire up the speakers via colour-coded connections and enjoy 5.1 channels of real surround sound. All your cables run into the subwoofer, so you can keep things neat and tidy.

Price ` 18,990

Price ` 46,990 (for Super4 X40 model)

LeEco has launched Super4 series smart TVs in India. The TVs come with HDR10—a dynamic range that creates perfect pictures that are more realistic, with greater contrast between highlights and shadows. Workstation-grade quad-core ARM Cortex CPUs and multi-core ARM Mali GPUs give powerful performance and smooth playback. An 85 per cent wide colour gamut means you see pictures the way these are meant to be seen—just like in real life. MEMC dynamic image processing eliminates blurring, trails and judder with enhanced picture quality, especially while showing sports content. With a variety of apps and utilities, the intuitive EUI of Super4 makes accessing files and using apps a breeze.

Smartphone from LG With Panic Button SOS feature

Hicare and Blueair introduce air purifiers Do not let your lungs choke Hicare, HACCP-certified pest control service provider and home cleaning services company, in partnership with Blueair, has launched a new series of air purifiers. The range comprises three models, namely, iClassic 280i, iClassic 480i and iClassic 680i, with a patented HEPA Silent technology that ensures whisper-silent delivery. These three models can be categorised as smart air purifiers due to their Wi-Fi enabling mode. The air purifiPrice ` 55,000 ers can also be con(for iClassic 280i) trolled using Blueair Friend app, which can be installed on your Android/ Apple phones. 92

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LG Electronics has launched K10 2017 smartphone with an emergency panic button that can be pressed to generate an alarm by a vulnerable target in case of an unforeseen situation. LG Electronics is the first company to adhere to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommendation to have a single number 112 for all emergency calls in mobile phones across the country, which is referred to as Panic Button implementation. The 148.7mm×75.2mm×7.9mm smartphone has a full-touch screen form factor, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, connectivity options including GPRS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and OTG, sensors like finger print, proximity, accelerometer, digital compass, ambient light and hall IC, and many more features. 112 SOS can be activated in the following ways: 1. Pressing of power key (on the back) Price three times ` 15,000 2. Long press of power key brings up a menu wherein Emergency Call option can be selected to indicate the call 3. In lock screen mode direct option is available to initiate an emergency call www.EFYmAg.com

first look

Price ` 5499

Wireless Bluetooth earbuds from Zoook True wireless freedom with premium sound for your music

ZB-Rocker twinpods are two independent wireless earbuds completely free from any wires or neckbands. The twinpods give you true wireless freedom with premium sound for your music, are water and sweat resistant, have an integrated microphone for calls, come with play/pause music control and are ultra-light with silicone air grooves for long-lasting comfort and a secure fit. These are compatible with all Bluetooth devices.

Fastrack unveils activity tracker

Pioneer India launches enclosed subwoofers

For people who like to keep track of their lives

Strategically priced and affordable for consumers

Fastrack is making its debut into the smart wearables segment. Its latest smart wearable titled Reflex will allow millennials to exhibit their passion while accessorising. Fastrack Reflex activity trackers are IPX6 water-resistance, and feature dualcolour PU bands, Price ` 1995 a rechargeable unit with USB port and OLED screen. These come in many colour options, namely, purple, black, blue, orange and red. The bands display incoming call notifications and texts, enable you to keep track of your activities of the day, calories consumed and memory storage that can last 15 days to store exercise data. The wearables also help track sleep patterns and come equipped with a sedentary reminder, which notifies you if you have been stationary for long intervals.

Pioneer India Electronics has launched its new enclosed subwoofers TS-WX306T (tube type enclosure) and TS-WX306B (box type enclosure). TX-WX306B box subwoofer and its cylindrical TS-WX306T counterpart are not only affordable but also share a refreshingly new grille design, which is functional as it protects the onboard speaker driver. Both enclosures share the same driver unit with a max wattage of 1300 watts and RMS of 350 watts. Pioneer has used new voice coil cooling system (VCCS) technology in the driver unit. With VCCS, the heat dissipation mechanism of the unit is made more efficient. With this type of heat dissipation, the unit becomes durable and can handle high power. VCCS also helps in reducing the overall weight of the enclosures, which, in turn, least affect the car’s fuel efficiency. ts-wx306t

GizMo ByTes Aadhaar Pay launched The government of India has launched IDFC Aadhaar Pay—the first Aadhaar-linked cashless merchant solution, offered by IDFC Bank Ltd. Aadhaar Pay is a service for merchants that will enable them to receive payments from customers without any physical payment instrument. The app has to be downloaded by merchants on their phones and linked to an Aadhaar biometric reader. Once the merchant has this infrastructure in place, consumers can start transacting.

App to pay income tax, issue PAN In tandem with the government’s Digital India drive, Income Tax department is developing an app that will allow people to pay taxes or apply for a permanent account number (PAN) using smartphones. The department is also working on a project to issue PANs to people within minutes by way of e-KYC authentication using Aadhaar, a move that will help bring more people under the tax net by making it easier for people to get PANs.

Made for India data-saving app by Microsoft Microsoft has launched Skype Lite, an exclusive Made for India app to provide a seamless experience in messaging, audio and video calling even at lower bandwidths. The lightweight app supports Indian languages including Gujarati, Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu. Packed in a 13MB file, Skype Lite is available only for Android devices and is especially designed to save data.

Multi-lingual breast cancer awareness app Price ` 7990 (for both enclosure types)

ts-wx306b

A mobile app that aims to spread awareness about all aspects of breast cancer has been developed by Hyderabad based oncologist Dr Raghu Ram. It is available in both iOs and Android versions. It offers information about breast cancer and benign non-cancer breast health issues in 12 languages, namely, English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya and Assamese. The app also contains a section titled Myths and Facts, which aims to dispel many common misconceptions about breast health.

The prices, features and specifications are based on information provided to us, or as available on various websites and portals. EFY cannot vouch for their accuracy. www.EFYmAg.com

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Buyers’ Guide estyle

You Can Have Lots Of Fun With VR Headsets

I

n a scene from Back to the Future movie series, there is a virtual reality (VR) headset that Marty wears while dinner is served on the dinner table. He is talking to his friends, even seeing what they are seeing and is completely immersed in it. This was back in the 1980s. VR headsets have endured a long journey from a refrigerator-sized Sensorama to providing 4D experiences of smells along with sight. Welcome to the world of console VR—this is quite different from simply strapping smartphones to your head. VR, in simple words, is a technique of recreating whatever you see or hear in an immersive 3D environment using various software and hardware. Move-

Shanosh Kumar is technology journalist at EFY. He is BCA from Bangalore University and MBA from Christ University, Bengaluru

ment of the body makes this experience much more immersive, and makes you think that you are interacting with the virtual environment. Perception of viewing has been redefining the experiences by packing the best computing power to render graphics that are close to reality. Today, these are captivating, comfortable and affordable, and range from entry-level VR headsets made out of cardboard to ones that cost as much as high-end gaming consoles. Back in the day, the whole unit had to be tethered to a powerful CPU or a supercomputer that packed a lot of graphic power. But today, the range of VR is between 45fps and 120fps, and this can be accomplished by the ever-growing

A VR headset being tried on

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www.EFYmAg.com

buyers’ guide number of smartphones with great hardware configuration.

Image quality is everything Console based or PC VR headsets mean more than simply strapping smartphones to your head with two convex lenses inside the cardboard or plastic casing. These provide you with graphic-intense immersion. Advancements in room-scale motion controllers, sensors, tracking and built-in cameras have made VR more interactive and has made viewing video in high definition, while moving around, a lot of fun. VR could also be used in training and simulation in fields like education, medicine, surgery, construction and armed forces using VR headsets. This could save costs while effectively delivering content to consumers. Built-in headphones. There is something called head-related transfer function (HRTF) that is being incorporated into VR sets. You have two ears, and to experience a simulated environment it is important you know the source of sound that is coming from various directions, and how it is localised through diffraction and reflection. An alternative to this can be noise-cancellation headphones, but these do not do what HRTF does. Built-in camera for 360-degree view. In VR, the environment is controlled by you, but in 360, all you get to do is go along with the visuals. This aspect may confuse most VR enthusiasts and trick them into buying headsets with 360-degree views. Motion controller and game pad support. The thing that really sets the high-end VR headsets apart is their motion controllers. These let you interact with the 3D environment, while tracking your movements and gestures with advanced capacitive sensors and tracking cameras. www.EFYmAg.com

If you are a gamer, you would be familiar with guns or virtual wands. These work on the same principles of motion sensing. Smartphones have inbuilt accelerometers and gyro sensors to provide the same effect, but this would only be a fraction of visual immersions that VR consoles provide. Refresh rate. To experience real VR, the headset must have a refresh rate of 90Hz to 120Hz (cinema mode), whereas a smartphone can have a refresh rate of 60Hz. Wireless. Though smartphones have a commendable battery life, a wireless VR headset can give you unrestricted movement with comfort. Some prototypes give about 90 minutes of VR view. Sensors. Accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, external constellation-tracking cameras and eye-tracking systems are some common sensors loaded onto a VR console. Sensors bring sophistication in terms of tracking movements and helping you coordinate with the virtual world.

The best VR consoles in market Built-in headphones and mic in Oculus Rift. Headphones work best in a sound-proof room but HRTF helps in rendering impressive sound with respect to VR that Oculus Rift presents you with. Precision tracking of movement with HTC Vive. With HTC Vive you can experience precise movements that help in artificial locomotion. Using the front camera, walking around in room-size tracked spaces becomes even more realistic. The best gaming VR money can buy is with PlayStation VR. This console is best suited for gaming. It may require you to buy a PlayStation camera, but it is affordable in its range. Its GPU enhances the output for a more realistic gaming experience. ElEctronics For You | April 2017

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Do-it-yourself hi Nid ria u h Kat

Serial interface Using Python Software A. Robson benjAmin

P

resented here is a project for a simple transistor’s output characteristic curve-tracer program through the serial interface and PIC microcontroller using Python programming language. Output characteristic curve of a transistor is automated using Python software and serial interface. Application software for collecting the measured value and displaying it on the monitor screen is developed using Python. Engineers and academicians have been using high-level languages like Visual C++, Visual Basic and Delphi for connecting their gadgets/embedded systems with the computer for measurement and control purposes for a long time. Recently, many shifted their preference to Python as their computer language for measurement and analysis. The main advantage of using Python is the support of a large open source community. Python is an interpreted programming language like BASIC, which saves considerable time during program development because compilation and linking are not required. Programs written in Python are typically much shorter as compared to ones written in C or C++. Python can be used for writing standalone programs and scripting applications. It is free, portable, powerful and remarkably easy to use. To run a Python program, an interpreter is required. Python interpreter is a program that reads a Python program and then executes it. To write a Python program, it is advisable to use an editor (for typing a program). An editor is designed for writing Python programs. It provides highlighting and indentation that can help you write a program without mistake. 96

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Parts List

Fig. 1: Printing ‘Hello World’ on PythonWin window

Fig. 2: Interactive Python Shell

The interpreter can be used to experiment with different features of the language. There are two modes in which interpreters can be used, namely, interactive and script. In interactive mode, the interpreter prints the result as the program is typed. The chevron, >>>, is the prompt the interpreter uses to indicate that it is ready. Alternatively, you can store the code in a file and use the interpreter to execute the contents of the file, which is called a script. By convention, Python scripts end with .py extension. (Python installation package is available at http://python.org)

Writing the first Python program After the installation of Python IDE and PyWin32 software, you can write a program and run it. The traditional first program is Hello World. This program simply prints ‘Hello World’ on the screen when it is run. This can be done with one statement in Python, as shown in Fig. 1.

Semiconductors: IC1 - PIC18F4620 microcontroller IC2 - AD780 voltage regulator IC3 - MAX5154 low-power, 12-bit DAC IC4 - LM358 low-power dual op-amp - MAX232 driver/receiver IC5 LED1-LED2 - 5mm LED D1-D3 - 1N4148 signal diode T1 - BC107 npn transistor T2 - SL100 npn power transistor Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): R1, R21 - 5.7-kilo-ohm R2-R3 - 220-ohm R4-R10 - 150-kilo-ohm R11, R12 - 10-kilo-ohm - 3.9-kilo-ohm R13-R16 R17 - 47-kilo-ohm R18 - 1-kilo-ohm R19, R20 - 10-kilo-ohm R22 - 1-ohm Capacitors: C1-C4 - 0.1µF ceramic disk Miscellaneous: CON1 - DE9 9-pin serial COM port male connector CON2 - 2-pin connector for 12V battery CON3 - 2-pin connector for 5V

Mathematical operations are performed in a single line without declaring the variables involved, as shown in Fig. 2.

Circuit and working Circuit diagram of the serial interface and transistor curve tracer is shown in Fig. 3. The author’s prototype is shown in Fig. 4. The circuit consists of a PIC18F4620 microcontroller (IC1), AD780 voltage regulator (IC2), MAX5154 12-bit digital-to-analogue converter, also called DAC (IC3), LM358 voltage amplifier (IC4), MAX232 dual driver/receiver (IC5), power transistor SL100/CL100 (T2), BC107 transistor-under-study (TUS) and other essential components needed for microcontroller operations. Clock frequency required for microcontroller operation is derived www.EFYmAg.com

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www.EFYmAg.com PDL

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Fig. 4: Author’s prototype

from its internal oscillator. Base current of TUS (T1) is varied from 0µA to 175µA in eight steps using port D pins (RD0, RD1 and RD2) of IC1. Collector voltage of T1 is varied from 0V to 2.5V in eight steps using IC1 and IC3 through IC4 and T2. Output voltage from the DAC is amplified about four times using LM358 and given to the base of T2. Emitter of T2 is connected to the collector of TUS, whose voltage is being varied. Collector voltage of TUS is

given to channel-0 (AN0) of the builtin analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) of IC1 after dividing the voltage by half using a potential divider arrangement (R19 and R20) to meet the voltage limitation of the microcontroller. Assuming that the collector current of TUS is equal to its emitter current, output is taken across the 1-ohm resistance, and the drop across 1-ohm resistance is amplified about 50 times and given to channel-1(AN1) of the built-in ADC of IC1.

Construction An actual-size, singleside PCB layout for the USB interface is shown in Fig. 5 and its component layout in Fig. 6. After assembling the circuit on the PCB, enclose it in a suitable box.

Firmware

Fig. 5: Actual-size PCB layout of the serial interface using Python software

The firmware is written in C and compiled using CCS C compiler. It implements the following tasks: 1. Generates different base currents 2. Generates different collector voltages 3. Measures the voltage and current (current in terms of voltage) 4. Sends the data to the PC

Host software

Fig. 6: Component layout of the PCB

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The application software to collect the measured value and display it on the monitor screen has been developed using Python. It requires the following components to be installed on your system: Python 2.5 (python-2.5.2) or higher IDE, Win32 Python (pywin32-210.win32-py2.5), Serial Port (pyserialwww.EFYmAg.com

Do-it-yourself 2.2.win32), Matplot Library (matplotlib-0.91.2.win32-Py2.5) and Numeric Python (numpy-1.0.4.win32-py2.5). Output pattern is displayed using Tkinter software, and values are displayed in a text file. Tkinter software is a part of Python package, so there is no need to separately install it.

Testing procedure To test the project, follow the steps given below: Step 1. Install all required software including Python2.5, Win32 Python, pyserial-2.2, matplotlib-0.91 and numpy-1.0.4 on your Windows 7 operating system. Step 2. Power on the board (GND, 5V, 12V) and connect it to the computer through serial COM port. If physical 9-pin serial COM port is not available, use a serial-to-USB converter. Step 3. The physical or enumerated COM port number that appears in Device Manager should be written in max5154.py script (self.fd = serial.Se-

www.EFYmAg.com

Fig. 7: I-V characteristic curve of BC107 transistor

rial(‘//./COM18’, 115200, stopbits=1, parity=serial.PARITY_NONE)) Step 4. Place efypython and max5154 Python programs in python25 folder (under C drive), where the microcontroller is already programmed. Step 5. Open PythonWin IDE. Step 6. Open efypython program from pythonWin IDE. It should be in Python25 folder. Run the program using Run from Menu bar. Step 7. If Python script is run-

efy Note

The source code of this project is included in this month’s EFY DVD and is also available for free download at source. efymag.com

ning, wait for a minute. The program will start showing the current and voltage values on the screen. Once measurement is over, the graph is displayed automatically. You will get the output screen as shown in Fig. 7. The data acquisition system using Python interface can be used as a starting point for interfacing any gadget with suitable modifications. The interactive nature of Python software makes it more user friendly as compared to other visual languages. A. Robson Benjamin is associate professor of Physics at American College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu. His interests include design and development of USB based data acquisition and automation of electronic gadgets

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dual-laser security system Using An Old Feature Phone Pranav rameshji rokde and monesh rajendraji Wani

A

a home security system. When an intruder cuts or interrupts both laser beams at the same time, an alarm sound is generated and an alert call is made to your current mobile phone.

(LDR1 and LDR2), five transistors (T1 through T5), one diode (D1), one NE555 timer (IC1) and a few other components. T3 and T4 are configured as NAND gate. NE555 is configured Circuit and working in monostable mode. T5 is used to drive relay RL1 and piezo buzzer Circuit diagram of the laser secuPZ1. Relay contacts are connected to rity system using a basic feature the old basic feature phone through phone is shown in Fig. 1. It is built connector CON2. around two light-dependent resistors When two laser beams falling on LDR1 and LDR2 RL1 PZ1 R7 R10 are interrupted at the R9 6V, 1C/O 15K T1 1.5K 100K same time, T1 and T2 N/O BC557 LDR1 conduct, making T3 and S1 R5 CON1 ON/OFF T4 also to conduct. Output R8 LED1 N/C D1 1.5K 6V 1M signal at collector of T3 is 1N4001 CON2 R1 FOR MOBILE given to trigger pin 2 of 150K R3 T3 CONNECTION 10K IC1 through toggle switch BC547 7 DIS RESET 4 PZ1 = PIEZO S1. As a result, LED1 goes GND BUZZER off and T5 conducts. 6 TH IC1 Vcc 8 PZ1 sounds for a preNE555 2 fixed time based on the T5 TRI O/P 3 LDR2 BC547 values of resistor R8 and T2 R11 1 5 GND CV capacitor C1. At the same 4.7K BC557 T4 C1 time, RL1 gets energised BC547 R2 10u R6 R4 150K and activates the speed C2 16V 1.5K 10K 0.01u dial function of the feature phone through CON2. The speed dial function is asFig. 1: Circuit diagram of the laser security system security system having a single laser beam may not be very effective as any moving object or animal can interrupt it, causing a false alarm. Presented here is a security system having two laser beams with calling alert feature, using a basic mobile phone (old model), also known as feature phone. The security system can be used in a restricted area like a farm or as

LASER TORCH1

LASER TORCH2

Fig. 2: Actual-size PCB layout of the laser security system

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Fig. 3: Component layout of the PCB www.EFYmAg.com

Do-it-yourself MIRROR

MIRROR

DIALPAD PCB SECTION 0 0

TO CON2

RESTRICTED AREA

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LDR1 LASER TORCH1 LASER TORCH2

0

proposed installation of laser beams and mirrors for the security system. LDR2 CIRCUIT Switch S1 to off BOX MIRROR position during installation of the laser beams Fig. 4: Proposed installation of laser beams along with mirrors and LDRs. for the security system The project requires two mobile phones—one old basic Parts List feature phone, which will be conSemiconductors: - BC557 pnp transistor T1, T2 nected to the circuit, and the other T3-T5 - BC547 npn transistor could be the mobile phone you may - 1N4001 rectifier diode D1 LED1 - 5mm LED already be using. Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): Normally, button 1 on a feature R1, R2 - 150-kilo-ohm R3, R4 - 10-kilo-ohm phone is assigned for speed dial R5, R6, R10 - 1.5-kilo-ohm function. Open the cover of the dial - 15-kilo-ohm R7 pad of this feature phone. Solder two - 1-mega-ohm R8 R9 - 100-kilo-ohm wires on the PCB at 1 (Fig. 5). Extend R11 - 4.7-kilo-ohm these wires to CON2 in the circuit. Capacitors: C1 - 10µF, 16V electrolytic You can install the two laser C2 - 0.01µF ceramic disk beams at a slight distance from each Miscellaneous: other, depending on what you want - Light-dependent resistors LDR1, LDR2 CON1 - 2-pin terminal connector to guard against. For example, to S1 - On/off switch guard your farm against cattle, keep - 6V, 1C/O relay RL1 PZ1 - Piezo buzzer the two laser beams about 90cm - 6V battery apart, so that the animal interrupts - Two laser torches - 2-pin connector both the laser beams when it crosses - Basic mobile phone the gate of your farm. As soon as - Eight small mirrors animal enters your farm, this system signed with a specific contact number will alert you, and you can take instant action. With the two laser like your current mobile phone numbeams kept 90cm apart, a human ber. You thus get an alert through an being crossing the gate of your farm incoming call on your phone. will not produce an alarm or send Construction and testing an alert to your mobile phone, thus An actual-size, single-side PCB for the preventing a false alarm. laser security system is shown in Fig. 2 and its component layout in Fig. 3. After assembling the circuit on a PCB, Pranav Rameshji Rokde (left) and Monesh enclose it in a suitable box. Rajendraji Wani (right) The circuit works off a 6V battery are electronics hobbyists or power supply. Refer Fig. 4 for the www.EFYmAg.com

LASER BEAMS

MIRROR

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. S.C eDi iv w D & eo i th San

Short-Range FM Radio Station Pamarthi KanaKaraja

T

his article shows you how to build a small radio station at home and share music with others. The station can also be used for making announcements in colleges, industries, hospitals, schools and other places using a condenser mic amplifier circuit. In this project an FM transmitter V2.0 module is used, as shown in Fig. 1. It is available on www. ebay.com and www.amazon.in. The module can modulate your voice or music on FM radio. If you have a radio receiver, you can receive and listen to it. This module communicates with Arduino Uno R3 or another microcontroller through I2C interface. All commands are sent through I2C interface. Here, Arduino Uno R3 along with Arduino library file is used for giving commands to control and vary different frequencies within 88MHz - 108MHz FM band.

Circuit and working The FM transmitter V2.0 module has the following four pins: 1. Vcc (5V) 2. GND 3. SDA (serial data I2C pin) 4. SCK (serial clock I2C pin) A standard 3.5mm male-to-male audio cable (Fig. 2) is used for connecting with the MP3 player, mobile or computer. Block diagram of the shortrange FM station is shown in Fig. 3 and its circuit diagram in Fig. 4. It is built around Arduino Uno R3 (BOARD1), FM transmitter V2.0 module (TX1) and a few other components. A simple fmtx library is used. It is an open source library, available at https://docs.google.com/file/ 102

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Headphone Jack

I2C Interface MIC

Antenna Fig. 1: FM transmitter V2.0 module Antenna FM Radio 50 Metres Range VCC GND Power Supply 9 Volt

75cm

Fig. 2: 3.5mm male-to-male audio cable

FM Transmitter V2.0 ATMega328 Arduino

Parts List Semiconductors: BOARD1 - Arduino Uno R3 TX1 - FM transmitter V2.0 module Miscellaneous: - 3.5mm male-to-male audio cable - 9V battery or 9V adaptor - 75cm single-strand copper antenna - FM radio receiver - MP3 player or any other audio source

d/0B2_rhDNAxM4sSTNxX1JQTE5kcDQ/edit

Setting up input in FM band Step 1. Download fmtx.cpp and fmtx.h libraries, and save these on your PC under, say, fxtx folder. Copy this folder to Arduino\libraries folder.

Fig. 3: Block diagram of FM station

Step 2. Open fmtx_demo.ino code from Arduino IDE. Compile it and upload the program/sketch to Arduino board. Step 3. Connect Arduino board to an audio source like mobile phone or MP3 player. You can also use a mic to transmit your voice. Step 4. Turn on your FM receiver and set it to 90.1MHZ frequency. Enjoy the music. Step 5. Open Serial Monitor window from Arduino IDE to change the frequency, as shown in Fig. 5. Step 6. You can change or set a www.EFYmAg.com

Do-it-yourself 9V DC INPUT

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5V FROM USB

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POWER INPUT

DRIVER

FM TX

Vcc SDA SCL

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Fig. 4: Circuit diagram of FM station

Fig. 5: Serial Monitor window

different frequency from Serial Monitor by simply entering the frequency using & symbol. For example, to change frequency to 99MHz type &0990 in the Serial Monitor and press Enter key. Similarly, to change frequency to 99.5MHz type &0995 (for frequency 101MHz type &1010 and for 102.5MHz type &1025) in the Serial Monitor.

Software Circuit operation is done using the software (fmtx_demo.ino) loaded into the internal memory of Arduino Uno R3. The program implements all required functionalities includwww.EFYmAg.com

7 6 5 4 3 2 TX 1 RX 0

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Fig. 6: Author’s prototype

ing handling user inputs with the help of serial port interface. The program is written in Arduino programming language. Arduino IDE 1.6.4 is used to compile and upload the program to Arduino board. The important thing is to set any frequency (within FM band), as shown in Fig. 5. In the program, default frequency is set to 90.1MHz, as given below: float fm_freq = 90.1; When you apply 9V power supply to Arduino board, it starts broadcasting the audio signal at 90.1MHz frequency. You can simply tune to the same frequency in the FM receiver or mobile phone. You can now listen to music or message announcements from up to a distance of 50 metres. Note that, an external antenna is required for FM transmitter module.

Connect any metal wire to the pad that could serve as an antenna. Theoretically, the ideal antenna length for 100MHz is around 75cm.

Construction and testing You do not need a PCB for this project. Connect GND, 5V, A4 and A5 pins of Arduino board to GND, Vcc, SDA and SLA pins of FM transmitter module, respectively, using external wires/jumpers. Connect a USB cable to Arduino Uno R3 for compiling and uploading the program. Remove the cable after uploading it. Connect a 9V battery/ adaptor as power supply to Arduino Uno R3. Connect FM transmitter V2.0 module to any audio source like MP3 player/mobile phone/computer using a 3.5mm audio cable. Your circuit will transmit at 90.1MHz frequency, which can be received by any FM radio by tuning to the same frequency. The author’s prototype is shown in Fig. 6.

efy Note

The source code of this project is included in this month’s EFY DVD and is also available for free download at source. efymag.com

Pamarthi Kanakaraja is assistant professor in Usha Rama College of Engineering and Technology, Andhra Pradesh

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Do-it-yourself

DioDe TesTer Using MATLAB Based GUI Shibendu Mahata and Saikat Patra

T

esting of digital or analogue electronic systems typically needs application of a set of test stimuli to the inputs of the device under test (DUT) and analysing the output responses using a response analyser. If the DUT generates correct output response (also called the golden response) for all input stimuli, the DUT is regarded as faultfree. Those DUTs that fail to meet the golden response are regarded as faulty or defective. Block diagram for conducting the testing of a DUT is shown in Fig. 1. In this project, testing of a silicon diode using MATLAB based graphical user interface (GUI) approach is presented. Arduino acts as the test stimuli generator for the diode, which is the DUT. The GUI initiates communication with Arduino and provides a user-friendly and interactive approach for conducting this test. MATLAB source program (diode_test.m) acts as the response analyser and displays the test results on the front panel of the GUI. The authors’ prototype of the diode tester and MATLAB based GUI front panel are shown in Figs 2 and 3, respectively.

Circuit and working Circuit diagram of the diode tester is shown in Fig. 4. For a good practical silicon p-n junction diode, forward voltage drop is around 0.7V. A p-n junction diode conducts current in only one direction. In forward-biased condition, the diode acts as a very low-resistance path; in reverse-biased condition, it acts as a very high-resistance (ideally infinite) path. Faults in a diode can be of two 104

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Fig. 1: Block diagram for testing a DUT

Fig. 3: MATLAB based GUI for testing the diode

Fig. 2: Authors’ prototype of the diode tester

types: short circuit or open circuit. In this project, we test whether a diode is in good condition or is faulty. Additionally, the type of fault (open circuit or short circuit) is also displayed on the GUI.

Software Two different software tools are used in this project: Arduino IDE and MATLAB. Follow the steps given below to install both the software: We use Arduino IDE for programming Arduino Uno. The latest

IDE can be downloaded for free from Arduino’s official website. After downloading Arduino IDE, install it. Note the directory of Arduino IDE installation. Download Legacy MATLAB and Simulink Support for Arduino package from MathWorks website. Extract the compressed folder named ArduinoIO. From ArduinoIO folder, copy pde folder and paste it in C:\Program Files (or Program files x86)\Arduino\libraries. (The path may be different depending on the installation directory of the IDE.) After pasting pde folder in the correct location, open Arduino IDE. If you have pasted the folder in the correct location, you will find it under File→Examples→pde. Open the code from File→Examples→ pde→adioes. Connect Arduino Uno board to your PC. From Device Manager, note the COM port at which Arduino Uno board is installed. From Tools menu in Arduino IDE, select the board as Arduino Uno and select the COM port number noted earlier. Upload adioes code to Arduino Uno board by selecting Upload in the IDE. www.EFYmAg.com

Do-it-yourself

is in good condition, it will display ‘Diode is OK.’ If it is faulty, it will display the type of fault, which is either short-circuited diode or opencircuited diode, on the GUI screen. Click on Disconnect to terminate the test session.

Fig. 4: Circuit diagram of the diode tester

Copy the entire contents of the extracted ArduinoIO folder to a folder in My Documents (for Windows PC). Our GUI application program has been developed in R2014a version of MATLAB. After installing this version of MATLAB in your PC, open install_ arduino.m file present in ArduinoIO folder. Now run install_arduino.m file. This code will correctly install and save the path of Arduino support package.

www.EFYmAg.com

efy Note

The source code of this project is included in this month’s EFY DVD and is also available for free download at source. efymag.com

Open the source code file for this project titled diode_test.m. Edit the line a=arduino(‘COM19’), substituting 19 with the COM port number in your PC where Arduino Uno board has been installed. Select Connect on the GUI to connect Arduino with MATLAB. After successful connection, connect the diode (in this case, 1N4007) properly, as shown in Fig. 4. Click on Test. If the diode

Shibendu Mahata is M.Tech (gold medallist) in instrumentation and electronics engineering from Jadavpur University. Currently, he is pursuing Ph.D from NIT, Durgapur. He is interested in MCU based real-time embedded signal processing and process control systems

Saikat Patra is passionate about electronics and MCU based embedded system applications

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Stereo Amplifier Using TDA7052 ICs For portAble DeviceS Petre tzv Petrov

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ortable devices like personal computers, MP3 players, sound recorders, telephones and audible sensors are frequently in need of additional amplifiers to produce sufficient sound. These audio amplifiers should work with S6 POWER ON/OFF

CON2 6V DC

C3 100n C4 100n

batteries (4.5V, 6V, 12V, etc) and USB interfaces (+5V). These should have low quiescent current and produce at least 2x0.5W of output power. This output power is enough for listening in a small room with several people.

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Fig. 2: Actual-size PCB layout of the stereo amplifier for portable devices April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

R8 150E

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Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of the stereo amplifier for portable devices

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Circuit and working Fig. 1 shows the circuit diagram of a simple stereo amplifier with two TDA7052 ICs (IC1 and IC2) that can be used for portable devices. TDA7052 is a 1.2W mono audio power amplifier. It has a wide power supply range (3V to 18V) and can work from USB interfaces. Typical quiescent current of TDA7052 is 4mA, which makes it appropriate for battery operations. Gain of each channel of the circuit is 39dB (around 90). Typical input resistance of TDA7052 is 100-kilo-ohm, and the IC is suitable for a lot of high-impedance signal sources. The circuit has six switches (S1 through S6). When S1 and S2 are open, input impedance of the circuit is more than 500-kilo-ohm and the amplifier can be used with electrical guitars, high-impedance sensors and signal sources. When S3 and S4 are closed, input resistance is reduced and, at the same Parts List Semiconductors: IC1, IC2 - TDA7052 audio amplifier LED1-LED5 - 5mm LED Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): R1, R2 - 1-kilo-ohm R3, R4 - 470-kilo-ohm R5, R6 - 10-kilo-ohm R7, R8 - 150-ohm R9 - 2.2-kilo-ohm VR1, VR2 - 1-mega-ohm potentiometer Capacitors: C1, C2 - 4.7µF, 25V electrolytic - 100nF ceramic disk C3, C4, C6 C5 - 1000µF, 25V electrolytic Miscellaneous: - On/off switch S1-S6 CON1 - Stereo jack connector CON2 - DC jack CON3 - Type-B USB connector LS1, LS2 - 8-ohm, 2W loudspeaker

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Do-it-yourself time, output noise is reduced. S6 works as an on/ off switch. The power supply is applied to the circuit through S6. S5 works as a stereo/mono selector switch. If S5 is closed, the circuit works as a dual-channel mono amplifier. Left and right audio signals coming from connector CON1 are shorted through S5. Fig. 3: Component layout of the PCB If S5 is open, the circuit and VR2, respectively. This avoids works as a stereo amplifier with two the usage of the balance-control podifferent input signals. tentiometer so that the two channels Output power of TDA7052 is can also be used separately for the typically 1.2W over a load of 8-ohm amplification of two mono signals. and with power supply of 6V. The Values of VR1 and VR2 should power supply can be increased but be minimum in order to reduce the load should have higher resistoutput noise. Value of C5 should be ance, of say, 32-ohm. minimal for the circuit to operate The left and right audio channels from most USB interfaces. have separate volume controls, VR1

www.EFYmAg.com

Construction and testing An actual-size PCB layout of the stereo amplifier with two TDA7052 amplifiers for portable devices is shown in Fig. 2 and its component layout in Fig. 3. After assembling the circuit on the PCB, enclose it in a suitable enclosure. The circuit does not need any adjustment and will work immediately after proper assembly. LED2 and LED3 are visual indicators for left-channel audio output, while LED4 and LED5 are for right-channel audio output. Petre Tzv Petrov was a researcher and assistant professor in Technical University of Sofia (Bulgaria) and expert-lecturer in OFPPT(Casablance), Kingdom of Morocco. Now he is working as an electronics engineer in the private sector in Bulgaria

ElEctronics For You | April 2017

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. S.C Di e v i Dw

Wireless Gate alarm PradeeP G.

T

Circuit and working

his wireless gate alarm uses infrared (IR) and 433MHz RF modules. IR transmitter unit emits 36kHz signal and is fitted on one side of the gate’s frame. IR receiver unit and RF transmitter module, along with the encoder, are fitted on the opposite side of the gate’s frame. The alarm unit is kept inside the house, and it uses 433MHz RF receiver module and musical alarm circuit.

Circuit of the wireless gate alarm has three units, namely, IR transmitter unit, IR receiver unit and alarm unit. Modulated invisible IR beam is present between transmitter and receiver units installed at the gate. Circuit diagram of the IR transmitter unit is shown in Fig. 1. By adjusting potmeter VR1, frequency can be set at 36kHz. At this frequency, maximum range is obtained (more than five metres). IC NE555 (IC1) is R4 R1 33E wired as an astable mul1K tivibrator. Output signal 7 DIS RESET 4 LED1 from NE555 is amplified CON1 IR TX LED R2 6 8 5V TH by npn transistor SL100 Vcc 1.2K IC1 LED2 (T1) to drive two IR-transD1 IR TX LED NE555 2 C1 TRI O/P 3 mitting LEDs (LED1 and 100u VR1 R3 1 5 16V 4.7K LED2) in series. GND CV 1K Circuit diagram of T1 C3 the IR receiver unit is C2 SL100 0.01u 0.01u shown in Fig. 2. It is built around IR receiver GND D1 = 1N4148 module TSOP1736 (IR Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of the IR transmitter unit RX1), timer NE555 (IC2),

C8 10u 18 16V

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April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

7 8

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Fig. 2: Circuit diagram of the IR receiver unit

5

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10

C9 0.01u

encoder HT12E (IC3), 433MHz RF transmitter module (TX1) and some other components. Circuit diagram of the alarm unit is shown in Fig. 3. It is built around 433MHz RF receiver module (RX1), decoder HT12D (IC4), melody generator UM66 (IC5) and some other components. Encoder IC3 encodes four-channel transmitting signals. The address pins A0 through A7 of IC3 are used for security codes. Here, all the address pins are grounded. Decoder IC4 decodes four-channel signals. IC3 has the same address pins as IC4. When a person crosses the gate, IR beam is interrupted for a moment. Parts List Semiconductors: - NE555 timer IC1, IC2 IC3 - HT12E encoder - HT12D decoder IC4 IC5 - UM66 musical melody T1 - SL100 npn transistor T2, T3 - BC547 npn transistor ZD1 - 3.3V Zener diode - 1N4148 signal diode D1 LED1, LED2 - IR transmitting LED Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): - 1-kilo-ohm R1, R3 R2 - 1.2-kilo-ohm - 33-ohm R4 R5 - 100-ohm R6 - 5.6-kilo-ohm R7 - 10-kilo-ohm - 1-mega-ohm R8 R9 - 33-kilo-ohm R10 - 2.2-kilo-ohm R11, R12 - 680-ohm VR1 - 4.7-kilo-ohm potmeter - 220-kilo-ohm potmeter VR2 Capacitors: C1, C6, C11 - 100µF, 16V electrolytic C2, C3, C7, C9 - 0.01µF ceramic disk C4, C10 - 1µF, 16V electrolytic C5, C8 - 10µF, 16V electrolytic Miscellaneous: CON1-CON3 - 2-pin terminal connector IR RX1 - TSOP1736 IR receiver module or its equivalent TX1 - 433MHz RF transmitter RX1 - 433MHz RF receiver - 8-ohm, 0.5W loud speaker LS1 ANT.1, ANT.2 - 17cm single-strand hook-up wire antenna - 5V DC power supply

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Do-it-yourself RX1

433MHz RF RX

1

1 2 3 4

Vcc DATA DATA GND

GND Vcc

ANT GND

2

5 6 7 8

3 4 5 6

CON3 FOR 5V

7 8 9

A0

VDD

A1

OSC1

A2

OSC2

A3

IC4

VT

A4

HT12D

DIN

A5

D11

A6

D10

A7

D9

VSS

D8

18 16

R11 R9 680E 33K

C11 100u,16V

IC5 UM66

15 17 14

R10 2.2K T2 BC547

13 12 11 10

GND Vcc O/P

ANT.2

1

2

3

ZD1 3.3V C10 1u 16V

R12 680E

T3 BC547

GND

Fig. 3: Circuit diagram of the alarm unit

Then, output of TSOP1736 sensor goes high. IC2 gets triggered and output pin 3 goes high. This output signal of around 5V is applied to IC3 and TX1, which transmits the LS1 8−ohm signals to the remote alarm 0.5W unit. The transmitted signal received by RX1 is fed to pin 14 (DIN) of IC4. Pin 17 of IC4 goes high when a valid RF transmission signal is received. Transistor T2 (BC547) conducts when pin 17 of IC4 goes high. When T2 conducts, IC5 gets power supply and it produces an alarm sound through loudspeaker LS1.

Construction and testing

Fig. 4: Actual-size PCB layout of the IR transmitter unit Fig. 7: Component layout of the PCB shown in Fig. 6

Fig. 5: Component layout of the PCB shown in Fig. 4 Fig. 8: Actual-size PCB layout of the alarm unit

Fig. 6: Actual-size PCB layout of the IR receiver unit www.EFYmAg.com

Fig. 9: Component layout of the PCB shown in Fig. 8

An actual-size, single-side PCB layout for the IR transmitter unit is shown in Fig. 4 and its component layout in Fig. 5. Assemble the unit in a suitable enclosure and fix on the frame of the gate. An actual-size, single-side PCB for the IR receiving unit is shown in Fig. 6 and its component layout in Fig. 7. Assemble the unit in a suitable enclosure and fit at the other side of the gate. An actual-size, singleside PCB layout for the alarm unit is shown in Fig. 8 and its component layout in Fig. 9. Assemble the unit in a suitable enclosure and keep it inside the house. All three units work on 5V DC power supply. Use an antenna for transmitter and receiver RF modules; a 17cm single-strand hookup wire can be used as the antenna. Pradeep G. is B.Sc. (Physics) and a regular contributor to international magazines. He is also a smallbusiness owner in south India

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Do-it-yourself

hi Nid ria u h t Ka

Real-Time Face RecogniTion Using Python And OpenCV Aquib JAved KhAn

A

real-time face-recognition system is capable of identifying or verifying a person from a video frame. To recognise the face in a frame, first you need to detect whether the face is present in the frame. If it is present, mark it as a region of interest (ROI), extract the ROI and process it for facial recognition.

Fig. 1: Screenshot of Haar features

Fig. 2: Checking OpenCV using import command

Fig. 3: Creating the database

Software This project is divided into two parts: creating a database, and training and testing. Creating a database. Take pictures of the person for face recognition after running create_database. py script. It automatically creates Train folder in Database folder containing the face to be recognised. You can change the name from Train to the person’s name. While creating the database, the face images must have different expressions, which is why a 0.38-second delay is given in the code for creating the data set. In this exam-

ple, we take about 45 pictures/images and extract the face, convert it into gray scale and save it to the database folder with its name. Training and testing. Training and face recognition is done next. face_rec.py code does everything. The algorithm used here is Local Binary Patterns Histograms (LBPH). Face detection is the process of finding or locating one or more human faces in a frame or image. Haar-like feature algorithm by Viola and Jones is used for face detection. In Haar features, all human faces share some common properties. These regularities may be matched using Haar features, as shown in Fig. 1. Two properties common to human faces are: 1. The eye region is darker than the upper cheeks. 2. The nose bridge region is brighter than the eyes. Composition of two properties forming matchable facial features are: 1. Location and size including eyes, mouth and bridge of nose 2. Value for oriented gradients of pixel intensities. For example, the difference in brightness between white and black rectangles over a specific area is given by: Value = Σ (pixels in black area)Σ (pixels in white area) The above-mentioned four features matched by Haar algorithm are compared in the image of a face shown on the left of Fig. 1.

Testing procedure

Fig. 4: Screenshot of face detection

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April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Install OpenCV and Python on Ubuntu 16.04. The project was tested on Ubuntu 16.04 using OpenCV 2.4.10. When you run the following shell script, it will install all dependencies www.EFYmAg.com

efy Note

Do-it-yourself

Fig. 5: Screenshot of a LBPH face recogniser

required for OpenCV and also install OpenCV 2.4.10. $ sh ./install-opencv.sh

After installing OpenCV, check it in the terminal using import command, as shown in Fig. 2. 1. Create the database and run the recogniser script, as given below (also shown in Fig. 3). Make at least two data sets in the database. $ python create_database.py person_name

2. Run the recogniser script, as given below: $ python face_rec.py

This will start the training, and the camera will open up, as shown

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in Fig. 4. Accuracy depends on the number of data sets as well as the quality and lighting conditions. OpenCV 2.4.10. OpenCV provides the following three face recognisers: 1. Eigenface recogniser 2. Fisherface recogniser 3. LBPH face recogniser In this project, LBPH face recognition is used, which is createLBPHFaceRecognizer( ) function. LBP works on gray-scale images. For every pixel in a gray-scale image, a neighbourhood is selected around the current pixel and LBP value is calculated for the pixel using the

The source code of this project is included in this month’s EFY DVD and is also available for free download at source. efymag.com

neighbourhood. After calculating LBP value of the current pixel, the corresponding pixel location is updated in the LBP mask (it is of same height and width as input image.) with LBP value calculated, as shown in Fig. 5. In the image, there are eight neighbouring pixels. If the current pixel value is greater than or equal to the neighbouring pixel value, the corresponding bit in the binary array is set to 1. But if the current pixel value is less than the neighbouring pixel value, the corresponding bit in the binary array is set to 0. Aquib Javed Khan is a freelance technical writer. His interests include computer vision and mechatronic systems

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Do-it-yourself

hi Nid ria u h Kat

MeMory Design Using Verilog ArnAv BAnsAl

P

resented here is a memory design project using Verilog hardware description language (HDL). This project is simulated using ModelSim software, and the design is tested through a simulation process. Simulation is done to check, verify and ensure that what is wanted is what is described. Simulation is carried out through

DATA INPUT ADDRESS ENABLE

64x8 MEMORY

DATA OUTPUT

WRITE/READ CLOCK

Fig. 1: Block diagram of 64x8 bit memory

dedicated tools. With every simulation, the results are studied to identify errors in the design description. Errors are corrected and then another simulation is carried out. Simulation and changes to design description together form a cyclic iterative process, repeated until an error-free design is evolved. Design description is an activity independent of the target technology or manufacturer. It results in a description of the digital circuit. To translate it into a tangible circuit, one goes through the physical design process. The same constitutes a set of activities closely linked to the manufacturer and the target technology. For designing projects in HDLs, you have to follow the very large scale integration (VLSI)

Fig. 4: Create Project File window

Fig. 2: Create Project window

Fig. 5: Workspace window

design flow and verification steps required in each step.

Single-port memory The single-port memory is basically the design as per your defined specifications. Then, as per the specified width and depth, define the memory block that can also be verified using field programmable gate array (FPGA) boards. Design hierarchy also plays an important role in designing the basic building blocks required in each step of verification. In this project we design a 64-bit x 8-bit, which is a single-port design with common read and write addresses in Verilog. While designing this project in ModelSim and test benches, follow the guidelines mentioned below: 1. When modelling sequential logic, use non-blocking assignments 2. When modelling latches, use non-blocking assignments 3. When modelling combinational logic with an always block, use blocking assignments 4. When modelling both sequential and combinational logic within the same always block, use nonblocking assignments 5. Do not mix blocking and nonblocking assignments in the same always block 6. Do not make assignments to the same variable from more than one always block 7. Use $strobe to display values that have been assigned using nonblocking assignments 8. Do not make assignments using #0 delays

Memory design Fig. 3: Add items to the Project window

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April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Fig. 6: Compilation window

The memory block diagram is shown in Fig. 1. It takes a few aswww.EFYmAg.com

Do-it-yourself

Fig. 7: Start Simulation window

Fig. 8: sim-Default window

Fig. 9: Adding wave to the project

sumptions into consideration for easing the operations of the circuit. While data input pin and address pin may have any value depending on the specifications of memory used and your need, clock used in the circuit is active high. Enable pin triggers the circuit when it is active high, and read operation is performed when read/ write pin is high, while write operation is performed when read/write pin is active low.

Software Verilog has been used for register-transfer logic coding and verification. The bottom-up design has been www.EFYmAg.com

ElEctronics For You | April 2017

113

Do-it-yourself followed in this project to facilitate easy debugging of various modules. ModelSim is an easy-to-use yet versatile simulator from Mentor Graphics. It supports behavioural, registertransfer- and gate-level modelling. To start memory (64-bit) design simulation, install ModelSim V 10.4a on a Windows PC and follow the steps mentioned below: 1. Start ModelSim from the desktop; you will see ModelSim10.4a dialogue Fig. 10: Selecting and monitoring signals window 2. Create a project by clicking Jump Start on Welcome screen 3. Create Project window pops up (Fig. 2). Select a suitable name for your project. Set project location and leave the rest as default, and click OK 4. Add items to Project window pops up (Fig. 3). Select Create New File option 5. Create Project File window pops up. Give an appropriate file name (say, Memory_SP.v) for the file you want to add, and choose Verilog as Add file Fig. 11: Wave window as type and Top Level as Folder (Fig. 4) File menu 6. On the workspace section of Note. Generally, memory internal the main window (Fig. 5), doublearchitecture design may contain Dclick on the file you have just creflip-flop, mux, basic cell, 8-bit word, ated (Memory_SP.v in this case) core and so-on. 7. Type your Verilog code (Memory_SP.v) in the new window. Since 64-bit x 8-bit memory is considered here, 64-bit address is considered, and the main goal efy Note is to input 8-bit data that should The source code of be written in this address location. this project is Note that these inputs are arbitrary included in this and you can enter any 8-bit data month’s EFY DVD and 8. Save your code from is also available for free 114

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

download at source. efymag.com

Compiling/debugging project files 1. Select Compile→ Compile All options 2. Compilation result is shown on the main window. If you get ‘Compile of memory-SP.V was successful’ message, it means there are no errors in the project (Fig. 6)

Simulating memory 64-bit×8-bit design 1. Click on Library menu from the main window and then click on plus (+) sign next to the work library. You would see Memory_SP that you have just compiled (Fig. 7) 2. In the work library, select as shown in Fig. 7 and click OK. This will open sim-Default window, as shown in Fig. 8 3. Go to Add→To Wave→All items in design options (Fig. 9) 4. Select the signals you want to monitor for simulation purposes. Select these, as shown in Fig. 10 5. Selected signals are used to verify data-write operations in the memory. Simulate your design by clicking Run from Simulate menu bar, as shown in Fig. 11 Here, to validate the memory implementation, fill the memory at selected address location between 0 and 63. Perform a random data write operation. Enable and read the data from that particular address location.

Arnav Bansal is an electronics hobbyist who loves to tinker with circuit designs

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advertisers’ index Client name

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Analog Devices (www.analog.com) .........................................................25

HK Wentworth (India) Pvt Ltd ................................................................131

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India Techno Systems ............................................................................126

Arrow Electronics India Pvt Ltd ...............................................................13

Infineon.....................................................................................................29

Rohde & Schwarz (www.rohde-schwarz.co.in) .......................................49 ROHM Semiconductor ...............................................................................6 Roshan Packaging.................................................................................127

Bimron Technologies .............................................................................123

Jai Mata Electronics ...............................................................................126

Binay Opto Electronics Pvt Ltd (www.binayLED.com) ......................46, 47

Keysight Technologies India Pvt Ltd (www.keysight.com) ........................5

Boolean Microsystems Pvt. Ltd. ............................................................126

Kits‘n’Spares ......................................................................................64, 65

CADD Centre Training Services Private Limited ................................... 117

LWI Electronics Inc. (www.livewireinfo.com) ...........................................23

Schurter Electronics (I) Pvt Ltd .............................................................. 119

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Meco Meters Pvt Ltd (www.mecoinst.com) .................................59, 61, 63

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Digital Promoters (I) Pvt Ltd...................................................................126

MG Automation Technologies ................................................................105

Shrey Plastic Moulders (www.shreyplasticmoulders.com)....................127

Dynalog (India) Ltd (www.dynalogindia.com) ...........................................9

Micafab Export Pvt Ltd...........................................................................126

Sinpro Electronics Co. Ltd (www.sinpro.com) .........................................33

EFY Group: Subscription Form ...................................................56, 57, 77

Montu Electronics LLP ...........................................................................127

EFY Group: Solutions ......................................................................27, 125

Mornsun Guangzhou Science & Technology Co. Ltd .............................41

Solar Today Expo (Start Exhibition) .........................................................55

Eita Technologies ...................................................................................127

Mouser Electronics (India) Private Limited ................................................7

Electronic Assembly (www.lcd-module.de)..............................................46

National Controlling & Equipments ........................................................126

Element14 India Pvt Ltd.............................................................................1

NI Systems India Pvt Ltd .........................................................................21

Embedded Technology Labs (www.etechlabsindia.com)......................122

Osram Opto Semiconductors (China) Co. Ltd. .......................................37

Saisharan ...............................................................................................127 Sakthi Accumulators Private Ltd ............................................................127

Speon Sensors ...................................................................................... 116 ST Microelectronics Marketing Pvt Ltd ....................................................53 Systellar Innovations (www.systellar.in).................................................122 Techno Power (www.technopowersystems.com)..................................127 Toshniwal Sensing Devices Private Limited .......................................... 118

FLIR Systems India Pvt. Ltd. (www.flir.com) ...................................89, 123

Pasternack .............................................................................................132

Fujitsu Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd ....................................................17

Perfect Metal Works...............................................................................127

Unique Enterprises ..................................................................................43

Fusion Power Systems (www.amptek.in) ..............................................126

Perfect Radios........................................................................................126

Universal Electronic Agencies ............................................................... 118

Good Will Instrument Co. Ltd.................................................................130

Pneumec Kontrolls Pvt Ltd ( www.pneumec.in ) .....................................45

Vision Mechatronics Pvt Ltd ....................................................................51

Green Vision Technologies ........................................................................3

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Zhaoqing Beryl Electronic Co. Ltd ...........................................................71

advertisers’ product categories index Products

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Digi-Key Electronics ............................................. 2

Products

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Progressive Engineers ......................................118

Rajguru Electronics ......................................... 121

Dynalog (India) Ltd ............................................... 9

Fujitsu Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd ............... 17

Rhydo Technologies P Ltd ................................115

Infineon ............................................................... 29

Optics & Optoelectronics

Sensors & Transducers

Perfect Metal Works ......................................... 127

Binay Opto Electronics Pvt Ltd ..................... 46, 47

Speon Sensors .................................................116

Avionics & Defence Equipment

Schurter Electronics (I) Pvt Ltd ..........................119

Osram Opto Semiconductors (China)

Toshniwal Sensing Devices Private Limited ......118

Embedded Technology Labs ........................... 122

ST Microelectronics Marketing Pvt Ltd ............... 53

Co. Ltd ........................................................... 37

Unique Enterprises ............................................ 43

Systellar Innovations ....................................... 122

Batteries & Power Supplies

Zhaoqing Beryl Electronic Co. Ltd ...................... 71 PCBs, Assemblies & Sub Assemblies

Boolean Microsystems Pvt Ltd ........................ 126 Digital Promoters (I) Pvt Ltd ............................. 126

Consumer Electronics & Appliances

Aimtron Electronics Pvt Ltd ..............................111

Eita Technologies ............................................ 127

Techno Power .................................................. 127

Bimron Technologies ....................................... 123 Boolean Microsystems Pvt Ltd ......................... 126

Fusion Power Systems ..................................... 126 Green Vision Technologies .................................. 3

Display Systems

Montu Electronics LLP ..................................... 127

Electronic Assembly .......................................... 46

Eita Technologies ............................................ 127 Plugs, Sockets & Connectors

Mornsun Guangzhou Science & Technology EDA Tools (Including Designing & Drafting

Harwin Asia Pte Ltd ........................................... 31

National Controlling & Equipments ................... 126

Aids)

Pasternack ....................................................... 132

RECOM Asia Pte Ltd ......................................... 69

NI Systems India Pvt Ltd .................................... 21

Co. Ltd ............................................................ 41

Reseller and Distributors

Sakthi Accumulators Private Ltd ...................... 127

Test & Measurement Equipment (Including Indicators & Monitors) Digital Promoters (I) Pvt Ltd ............................. 126 FLIR Systems India Pvt Ltd ........................ 89, 123 Good Will Instrument Co. Ltd ........................... 130 Keysight Technologies India Pvt Ltd ..................... 5 Meco Meters Pvt Ltd .............................. 59, 61, 63 Rohde & Schwarz ............................................... 49 Tools & Toolkits Kits‘n’Spares................................................. 64, 65 Trade Shows and Events

Shavison Electronics Pvt Ltd .............................. 95

Educational Training Kits

AN Wireless Solutions ..................................... 107

SINPRO Electronics Co. Ltd............................... 33

Kits‘n’Spares................................................. 64, 65

Arrow Electronics India Pvt Ltd........................... 13

Cabinets, Enclosures & Accessories

Industrial & Manufacturing Equipment

Digital Promoters (I) Pvt Ltd ............................. 126

Roshan Packaging .......................................... 127

Max Technology & Co. ....................................... 35

Dynalog (India) Ltd ............................................... 9

Shrey Plastic Moulders .................................... 127

MG Automation Technologies .......................... 105

Element14 India Pvt Ltd ....................................... 1

Universal Electronic Agencies ...........................118

Vision Mechatronics Pvt Ltd .............................. 51

HARIHI Ohm Electronics .................................. 120 Hicotronics Devices Pvt Ltd .................................11

Transformers

Components (Including Active & Passive)

Materials (Including Chemicals &

LWI Electronics Inc. ........................................... 23

Anant Enterprises ............................................ 120

Analog Devices................................................... 25

Consumables)

Mouser Electronics (India) Private Limited ........... 7

India Techno Systems ..................................... 126

AqTronics Technologies Pvt Ltd ......................... 19

HK Wentworth (India) Pvt Ltd .......................... 131

Perfect Radios ................................................. 126

Jai Mata Electronics ........................................ 126

Arrow Electronics India Pvt Ltd........................... 13

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Pneumec Kontrolls Pvt Ltd ................................ 45

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128

April 2017 | ElEctronics For You

Solar Today Expo (Start Exhibition) .................... 55 Training and Certification Institutes CADD Centre Training Services Private Limited ..........................................................117

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EFY Magazine Attractions During 2017 Month

tEchnologY Focus

ElEctronics DEsign

MArkEt survEYs

January

Computer Vision

Lowering Power Consumption

Electronic Component Manufacturing

February

Smart Fabrics

Improving Wireless Signal Performance

Electronics Manufacturing Services

March

Exciting Technologies Powering the IoT

Building More Reliable Printed Circuit Boards

Industry Outlook for 2017-18

April

Virtual and Augmented Reality

Developer Boards: DIY and Hobbyist Applications

Printed Circuit Boards

May

Smart Robotics

Fight of the Processors: Ultra-Low-Voltage Computing The Internet of Things (Mobile and Portable Devices)

June

Artificial Intelligence

How to Get the Best Design for Manufacturing

Strategic Electronics

July

5G and Beyond

Developer Boards: Industrial Applications

Mobile Handset and Telecom Device Manufacturing

August

3D Printing

Improving Thermal Dissipation

LED Lighting

September Industrial IoT

Which Input Technologies Should You Use

Solar

October

The Brains of Mobile Devices

Ruggedising Hardware

Electronics Manufacturing Equipment (Both SMT and Non-SMT Categories)

November

Security of the IoT

Fight of the Processors: High-Performance Computing Test and Measurement

December

Implantable and Edible Electronics

Which Output Technologies Should You Use

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Materials and Chemicals

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