Electronics for You Plus - Febbraio 2016

Nexte Issu

Contents ol Contr sture ent e Ge m iv it re su • Intu Mea t en t and • Tes equipm ters e Me Nois g in • Buy

February 2016 Vol. 04 | No. 10 ISSN-2454-4426

EDITOR

Tech Focus

: RAmESH CHOPRA

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38

Teach Your Drones To Do More Than Fly

20 Artificial Intelligence A Beautiful Artificial Mind

126

Electronics Mart Ads

130

Product Categories Index + Attractions During 2016

48 Telecom

131

Advertisers’ Index

Gate-Level Simulations: An Increasing Trend

30

Tech Focus

A Sunrise Peppered With Drones

44

Innovation

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GUjARAT:

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CHINA

: POwER PIONEER GROUP INC. PH: (86 755) 83729797, (86) 13923802595 E-mAIL: [email protected]

jAPAN

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Software And Tools To Enrich Your Digital Electronic Utilities

SINGAPORE

: PUBLICITAS SINGAPORE PTE LTD PH: +65-6836 2272 E-mAIL: [email protected]

78

5G: The Next-Generation Network

56

: E & TECH mEDIA PH: +1 860 536 6677 E-mAIL: [email protected]

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 2016. 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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Choosing The Right Bench Power Supply

Feedback Q&A Useful Websites Tech News Make in India: Industry News New Products First Look Business Pages Ads

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CHENNAI

TAIwAN

Buyers’ Guide

Test & Measurement

Do-IT-Yourself

The Latest In Scopes

73 Manufacture

Wearable Devices: Essential Inputs for Design Engineers (Part 2 of 2)

76

EFY Plus DVD

Event

India Electronics Week 2016: The New-Age Electronics Show

87

Make in India

Market Survey: Keeping An Eye on India’s Surveillance Industry

95 Making Arduino Shields Using Fritzing 97 Lossless Image Compression Using MATLAB 98 RGB Colour Generator 100 Infrared Motion-Sensing Relay Switch 102 PIN Diode Based Fire Sensor 104 Fridge Temperature And Humidity Indicator 106 High-Impedance Audio Buffer With JFET 108 Plus-Minus 5V Supply From 9V Battery

eStyle

112 Buyers’ Guide: Buying A 127cm FlatPanel TV

114 Do-It-Yourself: Ten Things You Can Do With Your Old Android Device

EFY Plus DVD Signal Processing With Sonic Visualiser ..................I R: A Data-Analysis And Statistical-Computing Tool ... IV Let Us Learn how to Program 8085 ......................VII

Interviews

70

certiFications: “We can even create our own medical device and test it on our neighbour” — Kalyan Varma, vice president - Business stream

72

MicrocontroLLers: “Most connected devices are nodes at the last centimetre of networks” — sanjay Gupta,

director, automotive Bu, nXP semiconductors

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Please send payments only in favour of EFY Enterprises Pvt Ltd

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FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU PLUS

WWW.EFYMAG.COM

FEEDBACK YOUR SUGGESTIONS EFY NEW LAYout DESigN The new layout of EFY January issue is amazing. It is very attractive. EFY covers the latest technology and new products. I love DIY section and open source materials in every issue. I am very thankful to EFY! Samiuddhin Through email EFY. Thanks for the feedback! Your feedback is important to us for improvement and to make a difference in a better way. We highly appreciate your support for the benefit of our readers and look forward to hearing from you in the future, too.

helpful. It is great that I could work on a number of projects based on DIY section. I request you to increase the number of articles that include details on the working of sensors. I also request you to include a quiz section based on the articles and interviews in the current volume. Mohammed Shan H. Through email EFY. Thanks for the feedbacks and suggestions!

FREQuENcY ShiFt KEYiNg In ‘Frequency Shift Keying Communication Simulator’ article published in

thANKS! I thank EFY circulation team for their swift action and support. I made a complaint regarding non-receipt of December issue. I received the issue within three days! V. Nagaraj Through email EFY. Thanks for the feedback!

FiRSt LooK In eStyle First Look section in December 2015 issue, specification for OnePlus X by OnePlus is wrongly mentioned. It should be 2.3 quad-core system on chip, instead of 2.3 quadcore CPUs. Ravichandra Metri Through email EFY. We normally get all data from the original manufacturer’s website. Specifications printed in the article are clearly mentioned on OnePlus website.

Quiz SEctioN I am a subscriber to EFY and it is very 6

FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

‘Spot An Error’ AWARD Winners In ‘Things You Wanted to Know’ Q&A section of December 2015 issue, under Q2, details related to the Bluetooth module and Bluetooth dongle including Figs 1 and 2 are wrong. Fig. 1 should be HC-05 module. Fig. 2 should be Bluetooth dongle and not as mentioned in the third paragraph. Also, there is no figure of BT 24 module as explained in the second paragraph. Darshan Shah

From electronicsforu.com

Circuits and Microcontrollers I will try making ‘Ultrasonic Radar Model Using Microcontroller ATmega128’ circuit published in February 2015 issue. Thank you for sharing the information! Briju EFY. Thanks for the feedback! In ‘Motion Detector Using NE555 Timer’ article published in August 2015 issue, what is TP0 to TP2. Where can I get the PIR module? Rakesh Kumar EFY. TP0 through TP2 are test points. Voltages given in Test Points table may be helpful for beginners during troubleshooting. PIR modules are easily available in electronic component shops. In New Delhi, you can get these from Lajpat Rai Market. PIRs like HC-SR501 modules are easily available online on websites such as www.ebay.in I liked ‘12V Battery Absorb and Float Charger’ circuit published in September 2015 issue. Which tool is used for designing the PCB? Can you send the complete kit of this project? Praveen EFY. We used gEDA software for designing the circuit and PCB layout. The complete kit of this project is not available with us right now. However, you may check www.kitsnspares.com for similar projects.

In ‘Joystick Based Stepper Motor Angle Controller using AVR MCU’ article published in December 2015 issue, there is mismatch between Figs 1 and 4. In Fig. 4, pins 5 and 6 of LCD should be connected to ground and PC1 of MCU, respectively. In Fig. 1, VR1 should be connected to 5V and pin 15 of LCD should be connected to 5V through resistor R2. Ramakanta Mohanta

Rakesh Through email

In the PCB layout of ‘Sensing Peripheral Devices with MC1489A Receiver’ circuit published in December 2015 issue, jumper J2 shorting the tracks of RC1 and RC2 is wrong. Samiuddhin

EFY. There is no source code used in this article. However, Multisim simulation file is used that is already included in the DVD accompanying the relevant EFY Plus.

December 2015 issue, the simulator code is not given.

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Q&A

THINGS YOU WANTED TO KNOW! Ques. How to operate 60Hz electrical appliances at 50Hz? Momtaz

ans. First of all try to contact the manufacturer of the appliance for safely operating at 50Hz with the manufacturer’s approval. The manufacturer may have a solution. It is possible to purchase 60Hz sine-wave power systems that take 240V 50Hz on input and produce 115V 60Hz on output. These solutions are generally very expensive, and it is usually more cost-effective to replace the tool or appliance. Visicomm Industries manufactures, sells and rents a broad range of rotary and solid-state frequency converters and changer products rated from 1kVA to 5000kVA. A frequency converter can be for single or three phases and can sometimes also change voltage, thus functioning as a power converter from 60Hz to 50Hz, from 50Hz to 60Hz and from 50Hz/60Hz to 400Hz. It can also be used for continuous duty or for testing products designed for export. Q2. wHat are tHe considerations in sMps design? please provide links or e-Books for tHe saMe. Mahesh kumar

a2. In an SMPS design, you have to consider power output, input conditions, thermal and heat-sinking issues, component quality, PCB area, layout and footprint, performance testing and much more. Please follow the link for more details: electronicdesign.com/ power/7-critical-steps-switching-powersupply-design You may refer to the following SMPS books: Switch-Mode Power Sup8

FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

plies by C.P. Basso, Switching Power Supply Design by A.I. Pressman, and Modern DC-To-DC Switchmode Power Converter Circuits by R.P. Severns and G.E. Bloom. You can also find a complete e-guide on SMPS design from the following link: http://caxapa.ru/ thumbs/348441/Switchmode_Power_Supply_Handbook_3rd_edi.pdf -handbook and http://www.smps.com/ Knowledge/Articles/Step-by Step_Flyback_SMPS_Design.shtml You can design an SMPS circuit based on the following online simulators freely available: www.poweresim. com and www.ti.com/lsds/ti/analog/ webench/power.page

Q3. wHat types of acceleroMeter sensors are availaBle in tHe Market? wHat points sHould Be considered wHen Buying an acceleroMeter? pamarthi kanakaraja

a3. There are various types of accelerometers available in the market based on various sensing principles. These are capacitive, piezoelectric, piezoresistive, Hall effect, magnetoresistive and heat transfer, etc. Consider the following points when buying an accelerometer: Analogue versus digital. This is determined by the hardware that is being interfaced with the accelerometer. Analogue style accelerometers output a continuous voltage that is proportional to acceleration, whereas digital accelerometers usually use pulse width modulation (PWM) for output. Number of axes. For most projects, two axes are enough. However, if you want to attempt 3D positioning, you will need a 3-axis accelerometer. Maximum swing. If you only care about measuring tilt using Earth’s grav-

ity, a ±1.5g accelerometer will be more than enough. If you are going to use the accelerometer to measure the motion of a car, plane or robot, ±2g should give you enough headroom to work with. For a project that experiences very sudden starts or stops, you will need one that can handle ±5g or more. Sensitivity. With more sensitivity, you will get more accurate readings. Bandwidth. For slow-moving tilt-sensing applications, a bandwidth of 50Hz will probably suffice. If you intend to measure vibrations or control a fast-moving machine, you will need a bandwidth of several hundred Hz. Impedance/buffering issues. Mainly involving analogue accelerometers, use a low-input offset rail to rail op-amp as a buffer to lower output impedance.

Q4. How can one develop a digital speedoMeter using a sensor attacHed to tHe front or rear wHeel tHat also displays distance (kM) and speed (kMpH)? aman Madan

a4. Please refer ‘Microcontroller Based Speedometer-Cum-Odometer’ article published in EFY magazine in November 2008 issue. In the article you will find the following features: digital readout, speed displayed in kmph, distance travelled displayed in kilometers, readings saved in non-volatile memory (EEPROM), home-brewed speed transducer/sensor, self-reset to zero after completion of 99,999.9km and easy-tobuild-and-fix onto the bike.

Answers compiled by EFY senior application engineer, Nidhi Kathuria. 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

USEFUL Websites GETTING STARTED WITH DRONES

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones are something that fascinates most of us. This month we have some websites that will help you know more about these drones Compiled by nira j sahay

diydrones.com

robotshop.com

DIY Drones is a community based on Ning social networking platform, and anybody who registers (it is free and easy) can post their own blog entries. It is explicitly built as a social network for drone lovers. There are different groups that discuss drones on this website. It also offers facilities to create a meet-up page for local drone fans.

This site is all about helping beginners with buying and flying quadcopters and other multirotors. In general, it focuses on building, buying and discussing drones. It is run by CHI Associates (Craig Issod), who have decades of experience in building online communities and forums. Starting in April 2013, a number of major upgrades and features were introduced and www.droneflyers. com became a go-to site for consumers desiring information and education on new drones.

RobotShop is one of the world’s leading sources for personal and professional robot technology that help increase pleasure, knowledge, liberty and security of individuals. They specialise in personal and professional robot technology and offer a wide range of robotic products and services in this sector. The site has a section on learning how to build a drone. So if you are looking to get into drones and UAVs, then the tutorial series available on the website will help you understand the emerging field of UAVs and guide you through the process of building your own UAV using off-the-shelf parts.

www.droneflyers.com

www.robotshop.com/blog/en/make-uavlesson-1-platform-rtf-arf-kit-custom-13989

www.diydrones.com

myfirstdrone.com

droneflyers.com

dronezon.com

MyFirstDrone has been building, buying and flying quadcopters and various other RC drones and model aircraft for the past several years. Tutorials on this website aim to help you in buying all parts, to building and learning how to fly a quadcopter in no time. www.myfirstdrone.com

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FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

www.dronezon.com/latest-uavs-newsdrone-uses-research-innovation

DroneZon is all about the world of drones, multirotors and quadcopters. The site is full of drone videos, UAV news, interviews with drone companies, drone DIY tips and learning materials on drone technology for beginners. It also shows you how drones are been used commercially and in other areas of our lives. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Tech NEWS TECHNOLOGY UPDATES

Drone that can catch another by firing a net at it

Drone catches another by firing a net at it (Image courtesy: www.brunchnews.com)

Engineers from Human-Interactive Robotics Lab (HIRoLab) at Michigan Technological University have filed a patent for a prototype for a dronecatching system that fires a net to take other unwanted aircraft down. They have named the project Robotic Falconry and have said that the drone, equipped with a net shooter, can intercept and physically remove any intruding multi-rotor drone from private airspace. It can be autonomous or remote-controlled while tackling a drone. According to the researchers, the net-shooting technique can be effective when force-landing unmanned intruders that would otherwise put the public at risk.

Drone that can do donuts, figure-eights around obstacles Getting drones to fly around without hitting things is a huge task. Obstacle-detection and motion-planning are two of computer science’s trickiest challenges, because of the complexity involved in creating real-time flight plans that avoid obstacles and handle surprises like wind and weather. Two teams of researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed software that allows drones to stop on a dime to make hairpin movements over, under and around some 26 distinct obstacles in a simulated forest. One team has shown a small quad-rotor doing donuts and figure-eights through an obstacle course of strings and PVC pipes. In a second CSAIL project, PhD student Anirudha Majumdar showed off a fixed-wing plane that avoids obstacles without any advance knowledge of the space, and even in the face of wind gusts and other dynamics. The approach was to pre-program a library of dozens of 14

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distinct funnels that represent the worst-case behaviour of the system, calculated via a rigorous verification algorithm.

Researchers are teaching drones to fly autonomously without ever crashing (Image courtesy: www.news.mit.edu) WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Tech News

Polymer super suit designed using solar energy The Grossman group of MIT has developed a transparent polymer that can store energy by using a solar cell and release controllable heat at any time. This newly-engineered material depends upon the Sun, which is a practically inexhaustible source of energy and stores energy in the form of chemical energy, releasing it later as heat.

The layer-by-layer solar thermal fuel polymer film comprises three distinct layers (Image courtesy: www.news.mit.edu)

Jeffrey Grossman, lead researcher, has said that the product could be a boon for the clothing industry, and provide humans with a new type of protective wear. The team also explained that this concept first came to their mind while analysing the concept of harvesting solar energy for long-term usage, as required in various sectors. Conventionally, solar energy is converted to electrical energy and serves as an environment-friendly renewable energy source, but the researchers wanted to come up with something new and innovative by using similar ideas.

Designer crystals for next-gen electronics Liquid is often seen as the kryptonite of electronics, known for damaging and corroding components. This is why a new process that uses vapour instead of liquid to grow designer crystals could lead to a new breed of faster, more powerful electronic devices. The method is invented by an international team of scientists from University of Leuven in Belgium, National University of Singapore and CSIRO. For the first time, researchers have shown how designer crystals known as metal organic frameworks can be grown using a vapour method that is similar to steam hovering over a pot of hot water. The crystals are the world’s most porous materials, and if applied to microelectronic devices, could significantly boost their processing power. 16

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Tech News

Bandage to automatically deliver medicine to a wound Researchers from MIT have developed a new type of bandage that incorporates electronics and drug reservoirs to monitor and care for a wound. The durable hydrogel bandage is supple and flexible, allowing for full range of movement even if it is applied to a knee or an elbow. It also has a few innovative features such as temperaturemonitoring electronics that automatically release medicine to fight infections.

Smart bandage has embedded electronics to track and treat wounds (Image courtesy: www.popularmechanics.com)

The smart wound dressing is made of a rubbery hydrogel matrix that is 90 per cent water, one designed specifically to replicate the qualities of human tissue. The gel creates a strong bond with materials such as titanium, aluminium, silicon, ceramic, gold and other substances that are commonly used to build electronics. Titanium wire runs through the gel to make the bandage conductive, allowing a number of electronic devices to be embedded, such as semiconductor chips. LED lights are also used; these can flash when a wound reaches a certain temperature or drug reservoirs run low. Medicine reservoirs are drilled into the hydrogel and travel to the wound via channels cut in the matrix.

Wireless, dissolvable sensors to monitor brain A team of neurosurgeons and engineers has developed wireless brain sensors that monitor pressure and temperature inside the brain and are then absorbed by the body, so that there is no need for surgery to remove the devices. Developed by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and engineers at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the implants can be used to monitor patients with traumatic brain injuries. The devices are made mainly of polylactic-co-glycolic acid and silicone and can transmit accurate pressure and temperature readings as well as other information. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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Tech News The researchers tested the sensors in baths of saline solution that caused these to dissolve after a few days. Next, they tested the devices in the brains of rats. Having seen that the sensors are accurate and dissolve in the solution and in the brains of rats, researchers now are planning to test the technology on humans.

Bio-inspired LEDs glow using proteins A new type of hybrid light emitting diode (HLED) termed BioLED has been developed by a team of German-Spanish scientists. It features protein cascade coatings in the form of rubber to make the LEDs glow. Drawing inspiration from nature’s bio-molecules, the scientists developed this hybrid

lasting solution. They developed a fast and reversible thermo-responsive polymer switching material that can be incorporated inside batteries to prevent thermal runaway. The material consists of conductive graphenecoated spiky nanostructure (nano-spiky) nickel particles as the conductive filler, along with a polymer matrix having a large thermal expansion coefficient. These nano-spikes have high electrical conductivity and high thermal sensitivity. In order to conduct electricity, the nano-spikes must be in close vicinity. As temperature rises, the polythene stretches, causing the spikes to move apart from each other and thereby break electrical contact. While experimenting, when the battery was heated up to 70°C, the polythene film quickly expanded like a balloon, shutting off the battery. But when the temperature dropped down to 70°C, the polyethylene shrunk, particles came in contact and the battery started regenerating electricity.

Disney’s robot can climb walls Disney Research Zurich, along with ETH, an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university, has developed a robot that can climb walls. Rubber with red, green and blue luminescent proteins are used to produce the BioLEDs (Image courtesy: www.materialsgate.de)

device that introduces luminescent proteins into a polymer matrix to produce luminescent rubber. It uses luminescent proteins to convert the blue light emitted by a regular LED into pure white light. The rubber is used to cover the LED to convert the light. Manufacturing of LEDs involves inorganic components such as cerium and yttrium that are already in short supply and hence would not be sustainable for long. BioLEDs are easy to manufacture, are bio-degradable and can be efficiently recycled and replaced. These also come with less than ten per cent loss in luminous efficiency for over 100 hours.

Lithium-ion battery that automatically shuts down before over-heating A research group comprising chemical engineers from Stanford University has developed a lithium-ion battery that automatically shuts down before over-heating, and starts charging once the temperature falls. Zhenan Bao, team leader at CE research group at Stanford, and postdoctoral scholar Zheng Chen, turned to nanotechnology to look for a reversible and long18

FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

VertiGo, a wall-climbing robot including ground-wall transition (Image courtesy: www.disneyresearch.com)

It is called VertiGo and is capable of making a nearseamless transition from the ground to a wall. It is also capable of mind-boggling wall-riding owing to a pair of tiltable propellers that provide thrust onto the wall, effectively sucking it against the vertical surface. With two steerable wheels, VertiGo can be operated as a radio-controlled car. But, unlike the radio-controlled car, VertiGo has two infrared distance sensors mounted on the front to estimate its orientation in space. The robot has potential use in entertainment, such as providing visual effects, but is also a general technology for locomotion on walls with possible other uses such as industrial inspection. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

artificial intelligence

A Beautiful ArtificiAl Mind

R

ay Kurzweil, American author, computer scientist, inventor and futurist, once said, “Artificial intelligence will reach human levels by around 2029. Follow that out further to, say, 2045, we will have multiplied the intelligence, the human biological machine intelligence of our civilisation a billion-fold.”

Deepak Halan is associate professor at School of Management Sciences, Apeejay Stya University

Fig. 1: ELIZA, an interactive program, was based on a very basic level of AI (Image courtesy: www.scaruffi.com)

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Evolution of AI The human race has fantasised about thinking machines right from the time of classical Greece. Homer’s Iliad talks about robots that were made by Greek God Hephaestus. While some of these robots were like humans, others were mere machines such as the golden tripods that served food and wine at feasts. With the advent of modern computers it became feasible to create programs that performed difficult intellectual tasks. The first half of the 20th century saw British mathematicians and philosophers Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead publish Principia Mathematica, which revolutionised formal logic. In 1923, Karel Kapek’s play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), staged in London in 1923, was the first to use the word robot in English language. Much later, in 1956, John McCarthy created the phrase artificial intelligence (AI) while looking for words to describe the key topic of a conference. The same year saw

FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

the demonstration of the first running AI program, Logic Theorist (LT), written by Allen Newell, J.C. Shaw and Herbert Simon, who were eminent personalities from Carnegie Institute of Technology, USA. In the decade spanning 1952 to 1962, Arthur Samuel from IBM wrote the first game-playing program, for checkers, with enough ability to challenge a world champion. In 1965, Joseph Weizenbaum from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, created ELIZA—an interactive program that was capable of participating in a discussion on any subject in English language. The first national conference of American Association of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) was held in 1980 at Stanford, USA. By 1990s, key advances had taken place in all areas of AI, with noteworthy achievements in machine learning, intelligent tutoring, case based reasoning, multi-agent planning, scheduling, uncertain reasoning, data mining, natural language understanding and translation, vision, virtual reality, games and many other topics. And, it was in 1997 that Deep Blue, an IBM supercomputer, beat the current world chess champion, Garry Kasparov. By late 1990s, Web crawlers and other AI based information extraction programs became indispensable in the widespread use of the World Wide Web.

An introduction to AI AI is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, more so, intelligent computer programs. In simple terms, if a computer performs a function which if a human was to do would be called intelligent, then we can say the computer has intelligence. Intelligence is a combination of knowledge and reasoning power since reasoning power construes facts that are unknown to knowledge. This criteria for AI is a very challenging task given that computers work on binary logic. When a computer only knows yes and no, it is demandWWW.EFYMAG.COM

artificial intelligence experience and can actually solve problems or give advice based on what it has learned.

Some application areas of AI Fig. 2: IBM’s Deep Blue chess machine, which defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov (Image courtesy: www.scaruffi.com)

ing to achieve results that are not strictly defined. For example, if we had to create an AI thermostat to cool a house, the program would need to have knowledge of all seasons, weather conditions like El Niño and passage of time, plus it must be able to understand concepts like warm, cool or too cold, apart from other aspects. While we do not really realise it, the simplest human functions translate to thousands of lines of computer code. Most current AI systems are designed for only a few specific applications. One of the most popular examples of an AI application was a chess program running on Deep Blue, IBM’s massively-parallelcomputing system. Deep Blue managed to defeat world chess champion Gary Kasparov because it could search 50 to 100 billion positions in the three minutes that each player had, to make their move. AI applications can be bucketed as knowledge based or expert systems. A minor knowledge based system could be a series of conditional statements, such as: IF the animal is a bird it does not fly it swims it is black and white THEN it is a penguin. As this system becomes more complex, the time it takes for a computer to arrive at an intelligent outcome becomes unacceptably high. Expert systems try to solve this issue by acquiring more knowledge from a human being by asking questions. Over time, the program learns from 22

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AI is being used in all spheres of everyday life in developed countries. Given below are some key areas. Online shopping. e-tailing sites such as www.amazon.com deploy a process called collaborative filtering to compare a customer’s purchase patterns with those of other customers and provide suggestions. AI can take such processes to the next level to increase loyalty. In the near future, we can expect semi-autonomous agents surfing the Web to help us, that is, their creators with diverse tasks. Intelligent bots will shop for you online, do your financial transactions and more, without your intervention. You would only be required to provide the bots broad inputs with respect to what you want to get done. Websites such as www. AskJeeves.com are using AI in the hope of making the Internet a more intuitive place, where you get things done the same way you would do in the real world. e-broking. In the Internet trading environment, an e-broker is a system where clients are the prospective buyers and sellers. Each client has a particular wish-list. In security trading, a buyer can specify type of product, number of lots, maximum purchase price, expiry date, time and other details. The seller can specify product, number of lots, minimum selling price, expiry date, time and the like. The system preserves a database of outstanding requests from prospective buyers and sellers. For a buyer, the system screens and shortlists a reasonable number of sellers for further analysis. The system matches buyers and sellers in the shortlist. For each buyerseller pair, the system makes use of a set of rules and comes up with a

rating for the pair. It ranks possible sellers according to the ratings. Topranking sellers are recommended to the buyer. In such a brokerage system, AI techniques are applied to the shortlisting stage and the matching stage. The amount of computation increases sharply with a rise in the number of clients and requests. The focus of research is therefore on efficient strategies and algorithms so that the system can respond to clients’ requests within a short span of time. A security trading system is expected to complete several thousand transactions every day and the system has to answer in just a few seconds. Bioinformatics. AI is critical for the evolution of bioinformatics. Presently, molecular biologists are involved in some notable datacollection projects. Latest genomesequencing projects are producing a huge volume of data linked to the function and structure of biological molecules and sequences. Other complementary highthroughput technologies, such as DNA micro-arrays, are swiftly generating big amounts of data that are too overpowering for traditional methods for biological data analysis. Understanding of this rich data could deeply impact our interpretation of life at the molecular level. However, the illustration of biological knowledge is a very daunting job and increasingly demands more potent and refined computational tools. AI and other heuristic methods (in particular, machine learning, data mining, cluster analysis, pattern recognition and knowledge representation) could possibly offer key solutions for the fresh hurdles posed by the progressive transformation of biology into a data-massive science. Some key areas where AI approaches are specifically encouraging and turning out to be fruitful are for prediction of protein’s structure and function, semiautomatic drug design, interpretation of nucleotide WWW.EFYMAG.COM

artificial intelligence

Fig. 3: Aibo, a robotic dog with intelligent features and autonomy (Image courtesy: www. digitaltrends.com)

Fig. 4: A musician performing with robots inspired by AI (Image courtesy: www. classicalite.com)

Fig. 5: Haley Joel Osment played a robot in Steven Spielberg’s movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Image courtesy: www. spielbergfanclub.com)

sequences and knowledge acquisition from genetic data. There is no doubt that application of AI to computational molecular biology demands exceedingly interdisciplinary and complementary skills, and these are seldom provided for in most current academic curricula. Interdisciplinary is interesting, however, unless AI and computational biology communities collaborate closely, development of new methodologies and algorithms is likely to lose pace. Gaming. Another big area in which AI plays a vital role is the gaming industry. In the 1990s, we saw the first attempts to mass-produce AI based toys and games in the form of Tamagotchi dolls, Giga Pets, first widely-released robot, Furby and much more. Later an enhanced type of domestic robot, Aibo, a robotic dog with intelligent features and autonomy, was launched. AI has also been applied to video 24

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games in the form of video game bots, which are designed to stand in as opponents when people are either not available or are not desired. In a game called Left 4 Dead, AI based director decides where enemies brood and how maps are laid out to be more or less demanding at various points of play. It is important for gamers to feel that the characters that are inside the game are almost real. Certain games are based on neural networking technology, which is used to create characters that learn as the game progresses. Characters in a fighting game, for example, could be taught battle skills in the same manner as the humans. Then there are computing machines available in the market, which can play master-level chess with you. These are based on some level of AI and use aggressive computation force in evaluating hundreds of thousands of different positions. To beat a world champion by sheer computing force and known reliable heuristics requires evaluation of as many as 200 million positions per second. Music and AI. Since long, music has evolved with technology. Computer-science engineers have been trying to make computers match the activities of skilful musicians, using AI. Composition, performance, music theory and sound processing are some of the major areas on which research in music and AI is on. Also, efforts to model music cognition with AI are generally looked upon as methods of improving our understanding of both human psychology and intellect. Once an effective model of the music listener has been accomplished, it can be improvised into a more complex model consisting of the listener, performer and composer, all put together. It then becomes a selflearning AI system. For example, a composing program can get all the required input information from its

environment by listening to musical performances. Also, this more sophisticated model can be very insightful in terms of understanding the behaviour of musicians.

Conclusion Haley Joel Osment played a robot created with the ability to have emotions, dreams and desires in Steven Spielberg’s movie A.I. Artificial Intelligence, a sci-fi adaptation of Pinocchio story. There has been a certain level of resistance to AI due to the fear of the world being taken over by machines, as the gap between humans and machines becomes narrower. However, there is also the belief that a machine can never be as good as a human being in making business decisions. There is a school of thought that believes that human-level intelligence can be achieved by writing large numbers of programs but most AI researchers believe that new and creative fundamental ideas are required. While it cannot be predicted by when human-level intelligence will be achieved, we do not really need to simulate conscious human thought as such. The emphasis today is on developing computers that can be operated intuitively with minimum human involvement. This demands a system that can crunch data on a platform and in a device-agnostic manner. Ideally, development of meaningful AI will demand that machines obtain some form of human consciousness to create useful and powerful assistants. While there has been rapid progress in hardware, storage and parallel-processing architectures, the field of artificial consciousness remains in its infancy stage. And much like the human body, this system is expected to carry out its functions and adapt to its user’s requirements without the need of the user to go into minute details of its functioning. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

embedded

Gate-LeveL SimuLationS: An Increasing Trend

G

ate-level simulation (GLS) is used to boost the confidence regarding implementation of a design and can help verify dynamic circuit behaviour, which cannot be verified accurately by static methods. It is a significant step in the verification process. GLS overcomes the limitations of static-timing analysis and is increasing being used due to low power issues, complex timing checks at 40nm and below, design for test (DFT) insertion at gate level and low power considerations. For DFT, scan chains are inserted after the gate-level netlist is created; GLS is often used to determine whether scan chains are correct. Technology libraries at 45nm and below have far more timing checks and complex timing checks than older process nodes. GLS may take up to one-third of the simulation time and could potentially take most of the debugging time. It is run after RTL code is simulated and synthesised into a gate-level netlist. It requires a complete reset of the design. Reasons for running GLS are reset verification, X optimism in RTL, timing verification on multi-cycle/asynchronous

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

RTL Test bench

Verification

Linting

Logic Equivalence Check

Synthesis

Gate Level Netlist ATPG pattern

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STA

Fig. 1: Gate-level simulation flow

paths and basic heartbeat test. In reset verification, GLS can verify system initialisation and show that the reset sequence is correct. In X optimism in RTL, an RTL simulator may optimistically assign zero or one to a value that a GLS would identify as X (unknown). In timing verification on multi-cycle/ asynchronous paths, static-timing analysis cannot identify asynchronous interfaces, and has constraint requirements that impact false and multi-cycle paths. In the basic heartbeat test, some verification teams may want to run a limited sanity check to verify the functionality at the gate level. As GLS runs much more slowly than an RTL simulation, it potentially has significant impact on the verification closure cycle. Cadence incisive enterprise simulator has several features such as zero-delay simulation, built-in delay mode control functions to reduce simulation time, selectively disabling delays in sections of the model where timing is not currently a concern, detecting potential zero-delay gate loops, correcting race conditions that occur in zero-delay mode, disabling timing checks for the entire simulation or for selected blocks, controlling the number of timing check violations, using multi-snapshot incremental elaboration to improve elaboration performance, using wave dumping only if required, avoid or use selectively command-line options that provide additional information and access to objects for debugging. Incisive also offers a timing file that lets you turn off the timing for particular instances in a design. Palladium XP accelerator/emulator can offer speeds 10,000 times faster than simulation. If full debug access is needed, a switch can provide it. There is also an option (-ZLIB) that can compress snapshots and save disk space, while letting users set the level of compression. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

embedded Running GLS

GLS execution strategy In highly-integrated products, it is not possible to run gate simulation for all system on chip (SoC) tests due to the simulation and debug time required. Therefore the vectors 28

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Simulator Flow

STA Flow STA Tool

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STA Tool Generates Timing Report and SDF

SDF with no timing issue

Check for Errors in report ERRORS

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SDF

The use of static tools to reduce GLS time should be used before running zero-delay information, especially for linting. Static-timing analysis can provide information that is used to start GLS early in the flow. There are many reasons for running GLS, some of which are given below: 1. To give confidence in verification of low-power structures, absent in RTL and added during synthesis. It is a probable method to catch multi-cycle paths if tests exercising these are available. Power estimation is done on the netlist for power numbers 2. To verify the power-up and reset operation of the design and to check if the design has any unintentional dependencies on initial conditions 3. To verify DFT structures absent in RTL and added during or after synthesis. Scan chains are generally inserted after the gate-level netlist has been created. Hence, GLS is often used to determine whether scan chains are correct. It is also required to simulate ATPG patterns. Tester pattern simulations are done on the gate-level netlist 4. To help reveal glitches on edgesensitive signals due to combination logic; using both worst- and best-case timing may be necessary 5. To check special logic circuits and design topology that may include feedback and/or initial state considerations or circuit tricks 6. To check if design works at the desired frequency with actual delays in place. It is a probable method to find out the need for synchronisers, if absent in design. It will cause X propagation on timing violation on that flop

No SIM PASS

Yes

Yes

Fix the design issue and validate it in STA again

Designers Work on Real Design Fix

Modify/Update SDF Temporarily Temporary fix of known timing issues to start GLS SIM early and focus on new unknown GLS issues

No

Original SDF Used

Yes Design Tape Out

Fig. 2: Gate-level simulation and static-timing analysis flow

that are to be run in GLS have to be selected judiciously. Possible candidates for such vectors are test cases involving initialisation and boot up, and all blocks of the design must have at least one test case for GLS, test cases checking clock source switching, cases checking clock frequency scaling, asynchronous paths in design, test cases that check entry/exit from different modes of design and dedicated tests for timing exceptions in the STA. GLS targets the maximum desired operating frequency of the design. Some signals that are critical for GLS debug can be preserved during synthesis. A list of all synchroniser flops is generated using CDC tools. Asynchronous paths where timing checks need to be turned off are analysed and a complete list of such flops is prepared, which also includes reset synchronisers. Timing checks are turned off on all such flops to avoid any redundant debugging, otherwise these will cause X corruption in GLS. This work should ideally be done before the SDF arrives. It may happen that the names of the synchronisers in RTL and the netlist are different. All such flops should be updated as per the netlist. Also, correct standard cell libraries, correct models of analogue blocks and more should be picked for GLS. Unit-delay GLS for test bench cleanup setup is done for unit delay

GLS and test cases that are planned to be run on gate level are run with this setup to clean the test bench. This is done because unit-delay simulations are relatively faster and all test bench/testcase-related issues can be resolved. Running unit-delay GLS is recommended because one can catch most of the test bench/testcase issues before the arrival of SDF. After SDF arrives, focus should be more on finding the real design/timing issues. So one must make sure that the time does not get wasted in debugging test-case-related issues at that time.

GLS challenges The challenge in GLS is X propagation debug. X corruption may be caused by a number of reasons such as timing violations, uninitialised memory and non-resettable flops. There generally are uninitialised flops in design which due to the architecture are guaranteed not to cause any problems. There is a need to find out all such flops in the design and initialise these to some random value (either zero or one) so as to mimic silicon. It gives a clear picture of how the design will behave at the desired frequency with actual delays in place. Although GLS has its own set of challenges like set-up issues and long run time, among others, it is still very much a part of the sign-off process. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

tech focus

A Sunrise PePPered With drones

W Janani Gopalakrishnan Vikram is a technically-qualified freelance writer, editor and handson mom based in Chennai

Robo-Fly being developed by the US Army (Image courtesy: US Army)

hen I started work on this story at the close of 2015, the USA’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was voicing serious concerns about the number of drones expected to be bought by people during the 2015 Christmas sales. Ranging from simple US$ 20 toys to high-end quadcopters, FAA was expecting a million unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, aka drones) to be sold. The concern is palpable, because these new aircraft, if not flown responsibly, could cause a lot of trouble for airlines. So much so that FAA has launched a beta application called B4UFly, which helps drone users to abide by flying regulations, especially to stay away from prohibited zones where their little aircraft could cause harm to real big ones. We are not sure how many drones really got sold over Christmas holidays, but it is evident that drones represent a real, solid trend. At one time, drones fell into two categories: either these were used in classified, military operations or were toys. Now their applications are more real-world. In July 2015, a little drone flew 55km

across Appalachian Mountains to deliver medical supplies to a healthcare centre in Wise County, Virginia, USA. The place is not easily accessible and doctors usually stock up for a month at a stretch, leading to a lot of waste. This FAA-approved drone delivery has seeded hope in the minds of many of the area’s citizens, who look forward to more such humanitarian drone missions. From delivering medicines and commercial parcels to transporting organs, following clouds, spraying crops, shooting candid sports videos and surveying real estate, drones are attempting to become part and parcel of our lives, like cars and mobile devices once did. And soon these really might dot our skies, every day. This prospect has put scientists and activists on full throttle. There is a lot of concern about the safety and privacy problems posed by these drones and the need for proper regulations to overcome these. Fortunately, there is a lot of research and development happening to make smaller, smarter, more useful drones. In this story, let us take a peek at some such won-droneful developments.

Drones turn into Mr Fix-Its University of Leeds, UK, has undertaken to develop drones that can be used to autonomously fix city infrastructure such as mending potholes or changing streetlights. The idea is to have drones automatically survey the city’s infrastructure, so problems can be spotted and fixed even before these are visible to the human eye. The project will take a three-pronged approach to solving this challenge. One area of research, dubbed as Perch and Repair, will aim to develop drones that can perch atop high structures to fix stuff like streetlights. Another dimension is Perceive and 30

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tech focus Patch, that is, drones that can autonomously inspect, identify and repair potholes in roads. The third is Fire and Forget robots, which can operate perpetually within live utility pipes, handling tasks like inspection, repair, metering and reporting. The multi-million-pound project is actually deeper than it appears to be. It will involve not just advanced research in drones and robotics, but also include development of advanced simulators like airflow simulators to study air pollution, tackle the problem of aging water pipelines and more. The project will also study the environmental and social impact of having a robot workforce always on duty in the city, trying to achieve the task with minimal disturbance to the city’s dwellers.

A trick or two learnt from flies and birds Think small, flying, fast and agile, and insects are the first creatures that come to mind. How challenging it is to vanquish a fly that irritatingly hovers around you, buzzing into your ears! So close by, yet so tough to swat. Well, it is no surprise then that with similar goals, drone researchers are turning to nature for inspiration. Insects are able to fly swiftly in and out of even the trickiest of spaces without colliding into anything. This is a capability that UAVs must have, if these are to work autonomously and coexist with humans. One way to achieve this would be to

More exciting applications...  ETH Zurich recently demonstrated drones building a rope bridge as part of their Aerial Construction Project. The researchers navigated quadcopters between two sets of scaffolding. Thereafter, the drones were able to survey the distance, figure out how to build the bridge and with the help of motorised spools, tied together ropes to make a 7.3-metre(24-feet)-long bridge, without any human intervention.

Flying machines spanning load-bearing links (Image courtesy: ETH, Zurich)

 Robot scientists from across Europe have joined hands under the auspices of Aerial Robotics Cooperative Assembly System (ARCAS) project to develop drones that can fly in a coordinated way to share the weight of heavy building materials. This will help deliver heavy payloads to difficult areas not reachable by cranes, which often pose risks to human workers.  Drones are expected to be very helpful for farmers, too. Stevia, the sugar substitute maker, considered deploying drones with lights over their farms to promote crop growth at night, too. A contest held last year in Maryland, USA, challenged students to develop drones that could prevent infestation of corn crops. Some interesting designs involved drones that landed on infested crops and pulled out insects with mechanical arms.  NASA has shown how UAVs can be used to hunt hurricanes, while Lockheed Martin showed how these can help in detecting and predicting avalanches, volcanic eruptions, wildfires and other natural disasters.  Conservation Drones is an organisation focused on using drones for environmentalconservation activities such as protecting chimpanzees in Tanzania and tracking Sumatran orangutans.  IBM is developing a drone called IRIS+, which can play table tennis. IRIS+ can automatically track the trajectory of a ball coming to its side of the table and return the ball to the other player.

equip the drones with digital cameras that capture a 360-degree image of what is around them. However, this goes against the form factor and weight requirements, which are

critical for drones. So scientists at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland, have now developed an insect-inspired motion sensor

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tech focus More bio-inspired drones... extra energy. He is now studying the multi-modal mobility of birds  The US Army is working on Robo-Fly, which will one day relieve and other creatures, which comfortably move between water, land humans from the life-threatening job of espionage. Using and sky, to develop drones with similar capabilities. piezoelectric materials, they have developed a fruit-fly-size microrobot that can flap its wings without a motor. The prototype wings  David Lentink and his team at Stanford University, USA, have designed bird-inspired wings for drones. Unlike the rigid wings of that they have made are just 3mm long, and are made of leadhelicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, these special wings can flap like zirconium-titanate, a material that bends and flaps when voltage a bird’s and fold back on impact, enabling these to recover instantly is applied to it. They have also used the same material to design after a collision and continue flying like birds do. The wings are a set of tiny robotic legs (like a millipede’s) that can crawl when made of carbon-fibre and Mylar film. Each wing consists of two voltage is applied to these. It might be 10 to 15 years before these parts, one arm wing and one hand wing, hinged together with a wings and legs actually turn into spying insects. 3D-printed wrist joint that enables the hand wing to fold back over  Mirko Kovac, director of Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial the arm wing. The arm wing is further attached to the body by a College London, believes in turning to nature for answers to drone shoulder joint. When the wings flap, a centrifugal force is created, challenges. By studying the perching of birds, he has developed enabling smooth flight. On collision, the wings fold back without a pigeon-size drone that can fly to the side of a building and any damage, recover instantly and start flapping again. All this comfortably perch on it. Basically, mechanical forces resulting from happens passively, without requiring any electronics. This would the impact cause the drone’s two arms to fly forward and make a make drones lighter and more reliable, too. grabbing action that holds onto the brickwork without spending any

for UAVs. The artificial eye measures just two cubic millimetres and weighs just two milligrams. It features a lens on top of all three electronic photodetectors in a triangular pattern. The device combines the measurements of these photodetectors to determine the speed and direction of any motion in its field-of-view. This is similar to how the segmented eyes of insects capture their environment to avoid obstacles.

The team has also developed algorithms to process signals from these devices, which will be programmed into onboard chips to compute relevant parameters like distance to objects, time until potential collision and so on. The artificial eye has been tested under varied conditions like poorly-lit rooms, bright and sunny outdoor spots, and it seems poised to outdo the original itself, as results show that it is able to detect mo-

tion three times faster than actual flying insects.

Autonomy is a matter of perception If drones are to be really useful, delivering parcels, spying enemy territories, entering danger zones ahead of fire-fighters and first-responders, and more, these need to be aware of their environment and capable of flying autonomously. Drone makers across the world are investing

Other efforts to make drones self-aware... avoidance system for drones, which uses only two mobile  When drones suddenly run out of power or lose the global phones worth of onboard computing hardware and real-time positioning system (GPS) signal, these crash land. In order image processing, according to an Institute of Electrical and to prevent such situations, University of Zurich has developed Electronics Engineers (IEEE) report. The solution is based on drones with improved safety features. The drones have a camera, stereo filtering from a pair of 376 x 240 pixel resolution, 120 acceleration sensors and an orientation system that emulates frames-per-second cameras spaced 34 centimetres apart. The the human visual system and sense of balance. When a failure drone focuses its attention on pixels that are about ten metres situation is detected, the drone tries to regain balance and, when away and nothing else. It saves these pixels in its memory and that is not possible, it surveys its surroundings, builds a 3D the next image adds more pixels to it, gradually helping the drone model of the environment and tries to find a safe place to land. All to build a 3D map of what lies ahead. This technique is called image processing and control runs on a smartphone processor pushbroom stereo detection. With a little bit of ironing out, this onboard the drone, which enables the drone to act independently method could help drones to fly autonomously, at lower costs. without requiring instructions from an operator.  Last year, DJI launched a new multi-modal sensing system  While remote-controlled drones are capable of flying at great speeds, autonomous ones still move quite slowly in order to make called Guidance, which empowers drones like the company’s the required obstacle-avoidance calculations. However, birds and Matrice 100 with autonomous obstacle-avoidance capabilities. insects are able to fly very fast, without crashing into anything. Guidance consists of an array of five ultrasonic rangefinders, a This fact has inspired Defence Advanced Research Projects set of integrated visual cameras running advanced algorithms Agency (DARPA) to fund the development of small, lightweight and and an onboard processor to make sense of all data. Guidance autonomous drones that can fly at speeds greater than 70kmph, enables drones to hover in place, maintain their positions and manoeuvring adeptly to avoid obstacles. Rising to the occasion, avoid obstacles, without GPS support. Draper Labs and a group at MIT have started work on software  Andrew Barry, a PhD student at Massachusetts Institute of systems that will help avoid obstacles at such high speeds. Technology (MIT), USA, recently developed an obstacle-

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tech focus efforts in this direction. Ascending Technologies, for example, has been working with Intel to develop solutions for obstacle avoidance. Intel’s RealSense 360-degree-depth camera module, which is less than four millimetre thick, weighing around eight grams, has been effectively combined with powerful microprocessors and smart algorithms to improve the perception capabilities of drones without affecting payload and flight times. AscTec FireFly, for example, uses Intel cameras to auto-fly through forests without crashing into trees. AscTec Neo, a research UAV, which will be available in 2016, will have a more advanced sensor ring with six Intel RealSense cameras, which will give it a 360-degree view essential for autonomous navigation.

Five little drones flying in the air... One little drone hit me on my head. Mummy called the police and the police said, “No more drones bumping on the head.” Soon, this scene might be more real than you think. One of the biggest worries on the minds of authorities and people is the risk of drones interfering with public routine. Imagine drones disturbing the flying of real aircraft, bumping into people, crashing on windscreens of cars and so on. While companies are trying to make drones more self-aware and safe, organisations like FAA are trying to control the flight of these little electronic birds to avoid any mishaps. FAA is taking several steps in this direction, declaring no-fly zones, putting a bar on the height within which drones can be flown, prohibiting the use of drones near airports, checking and controlling commercial usage of drones and so on. To aid FAA in this potentiallymammoth task, NASA is developing a drone-traffic-management system 36

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that can track thousands of drones, evaluate their flight plans and control where these can or cannot go. The project involves four phases, of which the first phase is almost ready for testing by FAA. The system will use geo-fencing to prevent drones from going where these do not belong. In a recent media report, Parimal Kopardekar, NASA’s principal investigator for drone traffic management, explained that there are two types of geo-fences; one is a no-fly-zone type, where you should not go inside the geo-fence. This will be used to keep drones away from airports, for example. The other kind of geo-fence would keep drones from getting out. The system will enable users to file flight plans, which will be evaluated and accepted or rejected if these do not work out. Ideally, the system will also enable anybody to simply point a smartphone at a drone flying in the vicinity and find out what it is up to. This is very important to instil confidence in people and avert the risk of spying drones. When you actually point your phone at a drone, the answer could be quite surprising, because drones are up to a lot of things today. Drones with follow-me capabilities can track players and shoot videos that will help them improve their playing. Drones can plant seeds on high mountains and dangerous forests to improve the green cover. These can monitor farms and improve watering cycles. And well, Amazon hopes these can deliver parcels, too. However, it is evident from the kind of research happening across the world that this is still far away. It took a long time for robots to start working cooperatively with people. So you can imagine how long it might take before drones start flying safely in the midst of people, cars, buildings and all the chaos of our cities! WWW.EFYMAG.COM

tech focus

Teach Your Drones To Do More Than Fly

F Dilin Anand is a senior assistant editor at EFY. He is B.Tech from University of Calicut, currently pursuing MBA from Christ University, Bengaluru

irst shown at CES 2016, Etos is a BMW i8 with an auto-pilot and a drone onboard. Frank M. Rinderknecht, boss of the Swiss creative think-tank Rinspeed, intends to use the UFO-esque drone on board Etos for performing services such as picking up deliveries from stores as the car drives you home, while you relax with a book in the driver’s seat. Drone applications have definitely gone way beyond their initial use as aerial torpedoes, unmanned weapons platforms and surveillance. Financial benefits look very promising for developers of well-engineered drones. In a recent Forbes article by Baldwin Cunningham, it was said that the drone economy could be as incredible as the app economy we had seen in the last decade. To engineer drones that can handle next-generation applications, let us take a look at the technologies available for you.

Propulsion Before you try to put smarts into your drone, you need to get your drone off the ground. When you select your mix of motor and propeller, you need to make sure that there is enough thrust to comfortably pick up the entire drone. As an example, a motor and propeller combination that delivers 500 grams of thrust in a quadcopter configuration would be able to barely lift a two-kilogram drone. This is not an ideal 38

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situation and so it is recommended that the weight of your drone be less than half the maximum thrust your configuration is capable of delivering. Direct current (DC) brushless motors are the most commonly used ones here. The Kv rating you find in these motors signify revolutions per minute per volt. A motor rated at 1000Kv will spin 1000 times per volt when there is no load attached to it. This is just a theoretical value, so it is not recommended to test your brushless motor without a load on it. To control speed, you can increase or decrease the voltage applied to the motor. Electronic speed controllers (ESCs) are devices that let you control revolutions per minute (rpm) of the motor reliably. These devices are able to handle the maximum current the motor might consume at the exact voltage as required by the user. Most motor manufacturers offer their own ESCs. Some of the popular motors in the market are the ones by Lynxmotion, TMotor, DJI and Storm. You need not look at motor brands; you should be fine as long as the specifications match your rpm and thrust requirements. Some expensive motors we came across come with better ball bearings that promise longer life and more reliability. For example, MN3508 motor built for aerial-photography drones comes with ball bearings that are twice the standard size seen. However, electric motors come with an inherent weakness in the form of range and flight duration due to battery-pack limitations. That is where people have gotten creative to repurpose tried-and-tested technologies like internal combustion engines. Yeair is one such product that comes with a ten cubic centimetre combustion engine paired with running engine control. The result? A drone with a range of over 55 kilometres! WWW.EFYMAG.COM

tech focus What is a V-tail?

About batteries and drones

You must have heard of tricopters, quadcopters, hexacopters and octocopters that have three, four, six and eight propellers, respectively. V-tail is a drone that lies between a tricopter and a quadcopter, in that it has four motors but the rear propellers are turned in the shape of a V to provide for a very acrobatic flight.

Batteries used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are now almost exclusively lithiumpolymer. Lead-acid is simply not an option and nickel-metal hydride/nickel-cadmium batteries are still too heavy for their capacity and often cannot provide the high discharge rates needed in drones. Lithium-polymer offers high capacity with low weight, and high discharge rates. Its downsides are comparatively higher costs and continued safety issues. Lithium-ion batteries have higher discharge rates than lithium-polymer ones, but these cannot provide the high discharge rates needed in UAVs. Lithium-polymer batteries used in drones are rated for 20C or more, where C is the capacity of the battery pack. The battery’s voltage should correspond with the motors we choose in our drone. Typically, a 3-cell lithium-polymer pack is used, whose nominal voltage is (3×3.7) = 11.1V, with capacity depending on the size of the UAV. Small battery packs can be of 0.1Ah (100mAh), though battery packs for mediumsize drones are in the range 2Ah-3Ah (2000mAh-3000mAh). A 10C discharge rating for a drone battery pack of 2Ah means that the pack can be safely discharged at 10×2=20A current. The higher the capacity, the longer the flight time, or the heavier the pack can be. Average flight time for a UAV is 15 to 20 minutes since it is always fighting against gravity. A challenge while charging a lithium-polymer battery pack is that it should not be overcharged nor should it be discharged below 3V per cell. Proper chargers for lithiumpolymer ensure all cells in series are balanced else the pack can become unstable and dangerous. Depending on how these are used, most lithium-polymer batteries typically do not last longer than 300 charge cycles. Leaving these around on a full or depleted charge all the time, running these completely dead or exposing these to high temperatures will shorten their lifespan dramatically.

Trying to make some sense Without proper input to the drone (or its pilot), your drone is not going to reliably fly anywhere. There is quite a wide range of sensors that you can choose from to allow your drone to make sense of its surroundings. Can I see. Drones also stand to gain from technologies like Intel’s depth-sensing camera technology from 2014 called RealSense 3D, which has the potential to enable holographic navigation and real-time environment monitoring. Sony’s Exmor R CMOS sensors are used in drones as these excel at recording in low-light conditions and are also able to record smoother action sequences while preventing smear from strong light sources such as streetlights. DJI, the current king of consumer drones, uses Lightbridge technology that enables streaming video at 760p without latency to the pilot, while the drone itself records video at 1080p full-high-definition. Drones like Inspire 1 can also shoot 4K videos and feature rotors that can be lifted out of the view of the drone’s camera, thus providing a 360-degree view. It is no surprise that this is the drone that lives onboard Etos car we mentioned earlier. Considering the rise in solar energy installations in India, drones designed to detect small defects on photovoltaic modules are a very good application. Existing drones can also be fitted with payloads for this application, by pairing an infrared (IR) camera like FLIR TAU 640 40

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—Vikas Kumar Thawani, analog applications engineer, Texas Instruments India, and Naveen Bevara, analog applications engineer, Texas Instruments India

Twitter: Is that a social network or a drone? Twitter, the popular social network located at www.twitter.com, has been granted a patent for a drone by United States Patent & Trademark Office. The patent allows for a drone to be controlled via a messaging app that democratises control over the drone to a larger group of people (probably using Twitter’s service).

and AscTec IR RAW data logger that can be used with German AscTec Falcon 8 drone. Falcon 8, considering its use in critical applications, comes with flight-control systems and electronics that deliver three times redundancy. Where am I. Vision positioning is another technology used by DJI drones that lets the drone have high hover accuracy by using ultrasonic sensors. This lets a drone hold its position without using a global positioning system (GPS). DJI’s Phantom drone also comes with FailSafe, which allows it to return back home in case it loses connection with the controller. Intelligent orientation control allows easier control of the drone for the pilot as it considers forward direction of the drone to be forward direction of the pilot and not the

direction in which the drone’s nose is pointing. Newer drones have also taken the next step forward for positioning and have started to use Russian GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS) in addition to American GPS. Integration of better navigation systems into newer drones has also allowed these to be set to fly to a particular location, capture footage and then return back home autonomously. Am I intelligent. Talking about autonomous drones, Zano is the result of a very successful Kickstarter project that raised almost ` 230 million. Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, Zano drone comes with a smart piloting system that lets beginners easily pilot the drone. It also features IR obstacleavoidance as well as echo-sounding WWW.EFYMAG.COM

tech focus sonar and high-accuracy pressure sensors for better flight. Drones meant for use by researchers take things a step ahead when it comes to flight systems. AscTec Firefly is designed with that application in mind and therefore comes with advanced sensor components and two ARM7 microprocessors. A low-level processor functions as the data controller and processes all sensor data and sensor-data fusion, while a highlevel processor controls the flight system as per the control algorithms given to it. The inertial guidance system drives this drone’s autopilot with a 1000Hz update rate. Hobbypower KK2.15 is an update of the popular HobbyKing KK2.0 flight controller board used by many beginner quadcopter builders. It houses InvenSense MPU-6050 MEMS motion-tracking device designed for low-power use cases. MPU-6050 combines a 3-axis gyroscope and a 3-axis accelerometer with an onboard digital-motion processor to process 6-axis MotionFusion algorithms. The device can access external magnetometers or other sensors through an inter-integrated circuit bus, allowing it access to sensor data without intervention from the system processor. Can I communicate. Botlink XRD (extended range and data) is an enclosed device that allows you to control your drone through the mobile network instead of using traditional radio or Wi-Fi. This technology allows beyond line-of-sight communication, data transfer and control through your mobile device using mobile telemetry technology that runs on 4G long term evolution (LTE) connections. It also allows serious mission planning by overlaying data of other manned and unmanned aircraft in the area, as well as marking any military or restricted airspace clearly. It also alerts you of adverse weather conditions. These are especially useful since 42

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Sensors used in drones 3-axis accelerometer. This provides linear acceleration in three axes and plays a very important role in drone stabilisation. 3-axis gyroscope. It provides angular acceleration in three axes and angular motion to the drone. Magnetometer. This is an electronic magnetic compass that can measure Earth’s magnetic field and use it to determine the drone‘s compass direction (with respect to magnetic north). It is almost always present if the system has GPS input and is available in one to three axes. Barometer. Since atmospheric pressure changes with the height from sea level, a pressure sensor can be used to give you a pretty accurate reading for the UAV’s height. Most flight controllers take input from both, pressure sensor as well as GPS altitude, to calculate more accurate height above sea level. GPS. It uses signals sent by a number of satellites in orbit around Earth in order to determine their specific geographic locations. UAVs use GPS sensors to autopilot specific route or to automatically return to its take-off point. Distance. Distance sensors could be used for obstacle sensing and can be ultrasonic, laser or LIDAR based. —Vikas Kumar Thawani, analog applications engineer, Texas Instruments India, and Naveen Bevara, analog applications engineer, Texas Instruments India

this technology enaMAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS REPORT bles drones to fly beyond the line-of-sight of the pilot. “I figured there has to be some kind of software that can give awareness, let a drone know about things like boundaries Avinash Babu M. Naveen Bevara Vikas Kumar senior project analog applications Thawani and weather,” says manager - hardware engineer, Texas analog applications Shawn Muehler, COO design, Mistral Solutions Instruments India engineer, Texas Instruments India of Botlink, to The New York Times. While some drone makers now Parting thought have dual-control capability that lets two users control a drone—one con“But what... is it good for?” —Engineers in the advanced computing trols the flight and the other controls systems division of IBM, 1968, the camera—other drone makers commenting on the microchip like 3D Robotics enable their drones to be smart enough to take over the second role. You can either let the and camera payloads are too boring drone know the path that it has to for you, North Dakota in the USA has follow while you take over the camlegalised drones armed with tasers, era or you can let it lock onto the rubber bullets or sound canons. The subject while you play around with race is now on to build one. the flight to get that perfect angle. While surveillance and cinema drones are applications that have Opening a new frontier almost been done to death, there for consumers: the sky are many new challenges that a drone with the right tools can solve. Better-engineered drones enabled Something that looks hopeless today by the latest technologies could could be the next revolutionary apeasily be just the right ingredient plication—it all depends on what the to unleash creativity on a massive engineer in you makes it to be. scale. If all these sensor packages WWW.EFYMAG.COM

InnovatIon

DIABETO: A 360-DEgrEE Diabetes-Management Solution

M

“

Priya Ravindran is a technical journalist at EFY

y parents have been living with type-2 diabetes for over 20 years. About four years ago, my father’s diabetes file was misplaced by his hospital and he had to undergo all tests again. That was when we thought, we can actually solve this problem with the help of technology, and we came up with Diabeto.” These are the words of Shreekant Pawar, chief executive officer, Diabeto Medtech India Pvt Ltd, on being asked about what prompted the invention of Diabeto. So what did they do? They came up with a solution for diabetes management—a package to test blood-glucose levels, analyse test results, and get expert opinion and care, all from the comfort of your home. Read on to find out Diabeto’s journey from inception to fruition.

Plug into your glucometer, pair with your smartphone and you are good to go

Easy to use, good to see

It is usual for a person suffering from diabetes to regularly check the blood sugar reading using a glucometer. Diabeto is a device that can be attached to a glucometer, simply by plugging its knob into the glucometer’s jack. You can then pair the device to your smartphone via Bluetooth. The smartphone app for Diabeto, supporting both iOS and Android, takes care of the rest.

A simple-outside, complex-inside design It is important to have a device that gives the user not just an accurate experience but a happy one, too. With this in mind, the team 44

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at Diabeto designed this piece of hardware that could easily be carried around and one that fits into the palm. In the design of a small bird, it symbolises freedom and comes in blue and pink colour variants. Fitting everything into this miniature architecture and get it running, along with complying with all prevailing electronic and medical norms, offered enough roadblocks. It took the team three years to complete it, but they did it in style. They had to manufacture in China finally, as the quality of the product in India was substandard and the time, effort and money involved was simply making the whole process tedious. The birdie contains a universal serial bus port, battery, Atmega microcontroller, Bluetooth Low Energy module and single-pole, double-throw switch. The switch shifts between the glucometer connection and the software universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter for respective functions.

How it works On establishing a connection, the readings, time and date stamp from the glucometer are transferred to the app, while at the same time also getting stored in the cloud server, saving the trouble of entering the readings manually. The app then asks for details about meals (you could even upload a picture of the meal), wellness factors, insulin units taken and comments, which you can manually input. This additional data gets stored along with the readings and you can add details to past readings as well. The next task is analysis. You can do this using a smartphone app or Web app. The app analyses all data stored and gives an insight into how your health is and what you need to do next. You can track your mood and food, measure physical activity, count calories from carbohyWWW.EFYMAG.COM

InnovatIon A BIRD’S EYE VIEW AT THIS BIRDIE Specifications

Description

Power supply

One lithium-polymer 3.7V 55mAh rechargeable battery

Dimension

61.39 mm x 67.25 mm

Weight

About 14 grams

Communication protocol

Bluetooth 4.0

Range

100 metres

Power consumption 821mW Peak current consumption

19.31mA

Flexibility offered by this little birdie takes you by surprise  Diabeto is, as of now, compatible with more than 40 glucometers that are easily available (You can find the list on www.indiegogo.com/projects/diabeto-your-friend-in-diabetes.). If you are using Accuchek range of glucometers, you will need a Diabeto infrared adaptor to connect to the device.  The hardware is just a transmission device and no data is stored in it.  Access to data is governed by user identification and has a secure sockets layer encryption.  If you want to use your own app for management, Diabeto application peripheral interface (API) will help you transfer readings from the glucometer. The API is compatible for both iOS and Android devices.  Made completely from open hardware, you can subscribe to 3-6-12 month packages that offer bundled services like nutrition support. The mobile app and cloud server usage are free to use.  Developers are working on population-tracker software for doctors, which would enable them to monitor all their patients.

Looking inside the birdie

drates, accurately log blood-glucose levels for monitoring and track insulin intake. It is always confusing to see these figures in number displays. The app presents this data as graphs that help you spot your trend on the first look; you can even convert a particular set of data into PDF format to document or share with others, may be a doctor or friend. You can set reminders to help manage your daily routine and even consult with the team’s specialists via video conferencing.

Measure the impact of your lifestyle At any time of the day, take another reading and feed it into Diabeto, or just change the related factors on the app. Sit down for your analysis; but at the pace at which life is progressing, it is impossible to sit and stare at graphs multiple times a day. At such times, you can take a quick 46

FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

The team at Diabeto (L to R): Jayesh Dhanwade, Vishal Chavan, Sheldon Lobo, Shreekant Pawar and Hemanshu Jain

view at the display that gives you three parameters: 1. Blood-glucose reading pulled from Diabeto app 2. Standard deviation, a number that gives better analysis on blood-glucose control 3. Average glucose, a diabetes-control indicator parameter

Unique and with a purpose With changing lifestyle, it is not uncommon to see even kids being diagnosed with diabetes today. The visually-challenged, the hearingimpaired and senior citizens are at the receiving end, too. Although

there is a device similar to Diabeto in the USA, Diabeto is an innovation from India. Changes in hardware, suggested by Barrierbreak, an accessibility testing centre, have been incorporated in the model that will soon hit the market (as of December 2015). With alpha testing stage completed, aided by University College London, UK, and ChiMed, Diabeto is on its way to help people in not just identifying the problem but managing it to improve the user’s condition. The problem with those with Diabetes is not that they are not aware, they just do not monitor it well enough. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

telecom

5G: W Dr S.S. Verma is a professor at Department of Physics, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Sangrur, Punjab

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The Next-Generation Network

ith time, generations change, whether it is mankind or technological. But the biggest and fastest changes have only been noticed in the communication network generations in the last few years. We have noticed a great electronic change in wireless communication network generations ranging from 1G to 2G, 3G and 4G in a very short span. Traditionally, there are three ways the mobile industry can add more capacity to its network: by adding more spectrum, by improving spectrum efficiency or by rolling out more infrastructure. Each generation is characterised by new frequency bands, higher data rates and non-backward-compatible transmission technology. Presently, wireless networking devices have occupied a significant place in society due to their easy access and expanding utility. Such devices are almost surpassing the human number on the Earth, and it

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is unimaginable to think about a place on Earth where these technologies have not reached. People now expect a lot more applications from mobile networks, and scientists and engineers along with industries are always working to make it happen. 1G refers to the first generation of wireless telephone technology (mobile telecommunications). These analogue telecommunications standards were introduced in the 1980s and continued until being replaced by 2G (second-generation wireless telephone technology) digital telecommunications. The main difference between 1G and 2G is that the radio signals used by 1G networks are analogue, while 2G networks are digital. Although both use digital signalling to connect radio towers (which listen to handsets) to the rest of the telephone system, voice itself during a call is encoded to digital signals in 2G, whereas in 1G it is only modulated to higher frequency, typically 150MHz and up. The inherent advantages of digital technology over that of analogue meant that 2G networks eventually replaced these almost everywhere. Second-generation, or 2G, mobile telecom networks were commercially launched in 1991. Three primary benefits of 2G networks over their predecessors were that, phone conversations were digitallyencrypted, 2G systems were significantly more efficient on the spectrum, allowing far greater mobile phone penetration levels, and 2G introduced data services for mobile, starting with SMS text messages. 2G technologies enabled various mobile phone networks to provide services such as text, picture and multimedia messages (MMSes). All text messages sent over 2G are digitally encrypted, allowing for transfer of data in such a way that only the intended receiver can receive and read it. 2G has been superseded by newer WWW.EFYMAG.COM

telecom technologies such as 2.5G, 2.75G, 3G and 4G; however, 2G networks are still used in many parts of the world. 3G, short for third generation, is the third generation of mobile telecommunications technology. The first 3G networks were introduced in 1998. This technology is based on a set of standards used for mobile devices, and mobile telecommunications use services and networks that comply with International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000) standard specifications by International Telecommunication Union. 3G finds application in wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV. 3G telecommunication networks support services that provide an information transfer at the rate of at least 200kbps. Later 3G releases, often denoted as 3.5G and 3.75G, provide mobile broadband access of several Mbps to smartphones and mobile modems in laptop computers. This ensures it can be applied to wireless voice telephony, mobile Internet access, fixed wireless Internet access, video calls and mobile TV technologies. Fourth generation, or 4G, the next generation of mobile telecommunications technology, succeeding 3G and preceding 5G, was introduced in 2008. A 4G system, in addition to the usual voice and other services of 3G, provides mobile broadband Internet access, for example, to laptops with wireless modems, smartphones and other mobile devices. Potential and current applications include amended mobile Web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high-definition mobile TV, video conferencing, 3D television and cloud computing. Two 4G candidate systems that have been commercially deployed are mobile WiMAX standard and the first-release Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. 50

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Expected 5G network visions Rapid development of wireless technologies coupled with standards convergence herald the emergence of fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication. Broadly speaking, 5G is expected to provide much greater capacity to meet growing user demand resulting from a number of new services compared to 4G. 5G (fifth-generation mobile networks or fifth-generation wireless systems) denotes the next major phase of mobile telecommunications standards beyond the current 4G/ IMT-Advanced standards. Experts feel that 5G should be rolled out by 2020 to meet business and consumer demands. The major difference from a user point of view between 4G and 5G techniques must be something else than increased peak bit rate. It could be higher number of simultaneously-connected devices, higher system-spectral efficiency (data volume per area unit), lower battery consumption, lower outage probability (better coverage), high bit rates in larger portions of coverage area, lower latencies, higher number of supported devices, lower infrastructure deployment costs, higher versatility and scalability or higher reliability of communications. In addition to simply providing faster speeds, experts predict that 5G networks will also need to meet the needs of new use-cases such as the Internet of Things (IoT) as well as broadcast-like services and lifeline communications in times of natural disasters. The Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance defines the following requirements for 5G networks: 1. Data rates of several tens of Mbps should be supported for tens of thousands of users 2. 1Gbps to be offered simultaneously to tens of workers on the same office floor 3. Several hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections to

be supported for massive sensor deployments 4. Spectral efficiency should be significantly enhanced compared to 4G 5. Coverage should be improved 6. Signalling efficiency should be enhanced 7. Latency should be significantly reduced compared to LTE Expectations are that 5G will provide uniform throughput of at least 1Gbps, peaking at around 10Gbps, with a couple of milliseconds of latency, offering a highlyreliable service. 5G will provide a truly ubiquitous unlimited mobile experience through terminals enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. New applications are foreseen that will facilitate domains such as e-health and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. Its salient features would include: 1. A super-efficient mobile network that delivers a better performing network at lower investment costs. It would address mobile network operators’ pressing need to see the unit cost of data transport falling at roughly the same rate as the volume of data demand is rising. It would be a leap forward in efficiency based on IET demand attentive network (DAN) philosophy. 2. A super-fast mobile network comprising the next generation of small cells densely clustered together to give a contiguous coverage over at least urban areas and gets the world to the final frontier for true wide area mobility. It would require access to spectrum under 4GHz, perhaps via the world’s first global implementation of dynamic spectrum access. 3. A converged fibre wireless network that uses, for the first time for wireless Internet access, millimetre wave bands (20GHz60GHz) so as to allow very wide WWW.EFYMAG.COM

bandwidth radio channels that can support data access speeds of up to 10Gbps. The connection essentially comprises short wireless links on the end of the local fibre-optic cable. It would be more a nomadic service (like Wi-Fi) rather than a wide area mobile service.

5G mobile systems overview The 5G technology for mobile systems is very much in the early development stages. Many companies are looking into technologies that could be used to become part of the system. In addition to this, a number of universities have set up 5G research units focused on developing technologies for 5G. Many technologies to be used for 5G will start to appear in the systems used for 4G and then, as the new 5G mobile system starts to formulate in a more concrete manner, these will be incorporated into the new 5G mobile system. As different generations of mobile telecommunications have evolved, each one has brought its own improvements. The same will be true of 5G technology. As with any new generation, 5G mobile technology would need to provide significant gains over previous systems to provide an adequate business case for mobile operators to invest in it. Facilities that might be seen with 5G technology include far better levels of connectivity and coverage. The term World Wide Wireless Web, or WWWW, is being coined for this. For 5G technology to be able to achieve this, new methods of connecting will be required, as one of the main drawbacks with previous generations is lack of coverage, dropped calls and low performance at cell edges. 5G technology will need to address this. Although the standards bodies have not yet defined the parameters needed to meet a 5G performance WWW.EFYMAG.COM

SOME SUGGESTED TYPICAL WIRELESS PARAMETERS FOR 5G STANDARD Parameter

Suggested performance

Network capacity

10,000 times of the current network

Peak data rate

10Gbps

Cell edge data rate

100Mbps

Latency

3m (10-feet) from the power supply output terminals. It solves the problem of voltage drop in the leads by extending the power-supply feedback loop to the input of the load. The difference in voltage is based on the amount of current and the load lead size and length. It uses a 4-wire connection (Fig. 2) to make sure the voltage you set on the supply is the voltage you get at the device under test (DUT) despite voltage drop in cables that carry current between the power supply and DUT.

Acceptable maximum level of noise in the supply’s output For powering a very low-voltage circuit, or a circuit that uses or measures very low currents, such as a transducer detector that must pick

up millivolt or microampere signals, noise from external sources may cause problems. The power supply itself is a noise source. This noise breaks down into two components: normal mode and common mode. Normalmode noise, which is generated across the power supply’s output terminals, exudes from the power supply’s internal circuitry. Common-mode noise is Earthreferenced noise originating from the power line and stray capacitance across the main transformer. Two types of bench DC power supplies are commonly used today, namely, linear and switch-mode. Linear supplies are simple and heavier because the 50Hz or 60Hz transformer and associated filters are physically larger. The linear topology generates minimum noise on the power supply’s output. Switch-mode power supplies (SMPS) are significantly smaller, lighter and more efficient than linear power supplies, so these have replaced linear supplies for higher power requirements. On the negative side, high switching frequency of SMPS generates five to ten times more noise than a linear supply. Whenever it commands minimising noise, choose a linear supply (if one is available) based on power requirements. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Number of outputs required

BENCHTOP POWER SUPPLIES

mated test systems—these rarely require changes after setup. However, more manufacturers now offer power supplies equipped with both front- and rearpanel connections. This simplifies transition from bench experimentation to high-speed automated testing, because the same power supply suits both environments.

Make/brand Product Description In many cases, a single output will be sufficient; howev- AIM-TTI Instruments Power supply, 3CH, 2x (0 to 35V/0 to 3A or 0 to 15V/0 to 5A) 35V, 5A, adjustable er, multi-output supplies can plus 2.7/3.3/5.0 @ 1A (QL355TP) sometimes deliver several important advantages. Triple-output power supplies typically contain two 0-30V, 0-3A ARKSEN Precision variable higher-voltage outputs for adjustable dual-mode DC power supply (A-003-PT-30145) analogue circuits (to power multi-voltage circuits or to create bipolar power supplies for testing bipolar analogue Channel1 0V to 30V, 3A B&K Precision Benchtop power DIY bench power circuits) and a third output supplies 0-30V/0-3A Channel2 0V to 30V, 3A supply intended to power a digital 0-5V/0-3A program- Channel3 0V to 5V, 3A mable triple (9130) circuit. For greatest flexibilA good power supply is ity, make sure that all three very useful when workB&K Precision Benchtop power sup- Channel1 0V to 60V, 3A outputs are programmable. ing with electronics, but plies triple-output DC Channel2 0V to 60V, 3A If the DUT requires indiit can be costly. Any ATX power supply 60V/3A Channel3 0V to 5V, 3A vidual isolated power supply (Advanced Technology (9132B) sections, a decision must eXtended) power supply Channel1 0V to 30V, 1.5A Keithley Instruments Benchtop be made to either configure can be plugged into the Channel2 0V to 30V, 1.5A Inc. triple-channel DC multiple isolated supplies or adaptor and can output Channel3 0V to 6V, 5A programmable buy a multi-output supply. 3.3V, 5V, 12V and -12V. power supply w/GPIB The catch is that multi-out(ATX is a motherboard (2230G-30-1) put supplies can either have developed by Intel in 1995 MASTECH Variable triple-output, Dual adjustable outputs: isolated outputs or output to improve on previous de 0-30V and 0-5A 0-30V; 5A, LED channels tied to a common facto standards.) It can be Fixed output: 5V and 3A display point on their low side. converted into a variable (HY3005F-3) When outputs are connected bench power supply. You to the same common point, can add female headers these are not suitable to and banana jack (for appower circuits that are isolated from pliances that draw more current) as computer interfaces over the years each other. output, or even a USB port. with instrumentation. Two of the For applications that require For powering some DC motors, most popular have been IEEE-488, powering circuits up and down in you can add variable output with an also known as general-purpose ina specific sequence, a multi-output LM317, controlled by a potmeter. Alterface bus (GPIB), and RS232 serial supply with independently controlthough an ATX power supply should communications. Network interfaces lable outputs is usually better than a have a short-circuit protection built (for example, Ethernet) and USB set of individual supplies. in, you can add output fuses as a interfaces have also been used. For applications that require safety measure. Make a case with One question to consider is: sourcing of more voltage or current plexiglass as it is nice to see the Would a digital I/O interface make beyond a single output’s capability, cable management inside. it easier to generate fault status some multi-output power supplies In the same way you can comoutputs or control an external relay allow outputs to be combined in bine LTC3780, which is a powerful or status lamp? series or in parallel. Non-isolated 130W step-up/step-down converter, Placement of output multi-output power supplies cannot with a 12V 5A power supply to creconnectors parallel the two outputs. To ensure ate an adjustable lab bench power flexibility, look for a multi-output Front-panel connections simplify fre- supply in the range of 0.8V-29.4V power supply with isolated outputs. and 0.3A-5A approximately. quent access and are more common You may add any standard make with bench power supplies. RearInterfaces needed microcontroller and LCD to make it panel connectors are generally conlook like a modern power supply. sidered superior for rack based autoThere have been numerous types of WWW.EFYMAG.COM

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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buyers’ guide The future Design and validation engineers need to power their DUTs safely and easily during manual tests or automated sequences. They are frequently under pressure to perform tests quickly, and their test benches are often crowded. “Our customers told us they want a Keysight-quality bench power supply with modern I/O, a compact footprint and excellent bench usability,” says Kari Fauber, general manager, Keysight’s Power and Energy Division. “We built the E36100 series to meet the needs of R&D and design validation engineers who face increasing pressures to produce high-quality designs quickly and who want to power their devices with confidence,” he adds. The E36100 series adds five new models with up to 100V or 5A output to Keysight’s extensive portfolio of bench power supplies. Its compact form factor (2U, ¼-rack) saves space on the bench or in the rack, and standard LAN (LXI Core) and USB interfaces make it easy to connect the power supplies to a computer. An intuitive onscreen menu system makes it easy for engineers to perform manual tasks quickly, and over-voltage and overcurrent detection helps them protect their DUTs. E36100 series models come standard with measurement capabil-

Fig. 3: Typical DIY power supply

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Different types of bench power supplies Battery eliminator (B&K 1502). These units are inexpensive and handy when one needs to work on battery-operated equipment as these allow one to work on the equipment without having to find necessary batteries. Constant-voltage supply (B&K 1686A). These provide adjustable and constant voltage and their maximum output current may be proportional to the output voltage, rather than supplying the rated current at any output voltage. Constant-voltage/constant-current supply (B&K 1621A). Probably the most popular type of lab power supply is a constant-voltage/constant-current supply. In addition to supplying constant voltage, these also supply constant current. When in constant-current mode, the power supply maintains the set current regardless of changes in the load’s resistance. Multiple-output supply (B&K 9130). Multiple-output power supplies have more than one DC output; often two or three. These are useful and cost-effective for systems that require multiple voltages. An often-used power supply for circuit development is a tripleoutput supply. One output supplies 0V-6V intended for digital logic. The other two supply (typically) 0V-30V, which can be used with bipolar analogue circuitry. The supply has a number of useful features. Outputs can be set to timed operation; after a time interval has passed, the output turns itself off. Voltage limits are settable for all channels, so your prototype electrical design can be protected from an accidental overvoltage setting. The two 30V channels can be connected in series or parallel for higher voltage or current, respectively. There are also storage registers for saving up to 50 instrument states for easy recall later (useful for repetitive testing). Programmable supply. Programmable power supplies are sometimes called system power supplies, as these are often used as part of a computer-operated system for testing or production. Two of the most popular computer interfaces have been GPIB and RS232 serial communications. Ethernet and USB interfaces have also been used. These can be controlled with a computer rather than pushing front-panel keys. This is very useful especially when doing more complex setups like generating dynamic voltage steps using list mode. Multi-range supply (B&K 9110). Most conventional power supplies operate with fixed voltage and current ratings, for example, 90W/30V/3A. For all other voltage/current combinations, output power will be less. Multi-range supplies are different in that these recalculate voltage/current limits for each setting, forming a constant power hyperbolicshaped boundary as shown Fig. 1(c). 100W/60V/5A is an example of this type supply. Any voltage/current combinations that lie on the hyperbolic curve are possible, for example, 20V/5A or 60V/1, 66A, and in each case, the supply operates at maximum power. Benefits of this architecture are clear. A multi-range supply offers greater flexibility in output ratings and allows users to substitute several fixed rating with a single multi-range supply, thus saving cost and bench space.

ity for very small currents, a highcontrast OLED display that makes it easy to view the screen from anywhere, even from sharp angles, support for BenchVue software, IVI drivers and SCPI commands, threeyear warranty and Keysight’s worldwide support. PeakTech’s newlydeveloped, linearregulated dual-channel laboratory power supply (2 x 0-30V/0-5A DC/5V/1A fixed) with a modern design and

the latest technology is provided with a blue LED display for fast and accurate reading of voltage and current values. Output voltage and current limit for the main channels are each continuously variable and can be connected independently from each other in series or parallel mode. Thus, with outputs connected in series, the maximum output voltage rises to 60V DC and outputs connected in parallel double the maximum output current to 10A DC. This device combines easy handling and high efficiency to offer universal applications in research, development, electrical engineering or training. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

IntervIew Certifications:

We Can Even Create Our Own MediCal deviCe And test it On Our neighbOur KALYAN VARMA

VICE PRESIDENT - BUSINESS STREAM PRODUCTS AT TUV RHEINLAND - TUV RHEINLAND (INDIA) PVT LTD

With connected devices being all the rage, it is more important than ever to ensure that the devices follow regulations and are certified. This ensures that these devices, as TUV Rheinland puts it, do not disturb and do not get disturbed. Kalyan Varma, vice president - Business Stream Products at TUV Rheinland - TUV Rheinland (India) Pvt Ltd, speaks with Dilin Anand from EFY

Q. Which are the common protocols that IoT developers seem to prefer?

electrical safety, electromagnetic compatibility and material compliance. European directives mandate compliance to all the above for IoT, while for North American market, electrical safety is voluntary and market-driven.

A. Wi-Fi, ZigBee and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) are some known protocols. Apart from these, there are new protocols like IP500 by IP500 Alliance, Thread by Thread Group and others. IP500 is becoming a big force in Europe. It is related to monitoring and sensing devices as well as building automation. It allows you to plug-and-play the sensor anywhere without any wiring and is manufacturer-neutral, too.

A. No! These regulations are based on the frequency of transmission. Local developers and manufacturers working in the field usually do not have any idea about local or international regulations in wireless.

Q. What are the new technologies coming into this space in India?

Q. Do regulations also apply to whitespace band?

A. New technologies like Wisun, OpenArea and KNX are betting on the IoT market. KNX has done a lot of work in India. Wi-sun has also had a lot of interest in setting up workshops as well as interest groups. KNX predominantly looks at lighting and lighting automation, while Wi-sun is an advanced Wi-Fi communications channel.

A. Different countries have different regulations. In some cases, it is licence-free but still regulated for products operating on these frequencies and in others, it is a licenced band.

Q. What are the international regulations pertaining to IoT devices? A. Most countries have local regulations but, for more uniform adoption, some also adopt regulations based on European norms or USA based FCC standards. From an IoT perspective, regulations can be split into four major aspects: wireless, 70

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Q. Are these regulations related to the protocols used?

Q. What is the main challenge for IoT products? A. If you look at protocols, the big thing to note is the wireless communications channels or frequency these prefer. Most choose to function in 2.4GHz or 5GHz. This band is also known as the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio band. The moment you touch a frequency for communications, every country has a regulatory barrier in place. The challenge is to build your product such that it follows local and inter-

national regulations both.

Q. What are the challenges faced by engineering teams in India? A. If you take a Bluetooth module, you can only make a few changes keeping in with regulations. Otherwise you will have to rework the entire design and redo the certification. Major intellectual property suppliers who do this are not available in India. Getting compliance in India and finding people who have the expertise to understand and implement the solutions are very rare here. They need to be first looked at in the form of regulatory qualifications and then protocol qualifications.

Q. How do things work for IoT health devices where there could be a mix of medical and wireless regulations? A. We do not have a regulation set up yet in India for medical devices. As per official data, we only have a total of 38 medical devices that are regulated, and all of these are non-electrical. Equipment from incubators to computed tomography scan machines, everything is non-regulated. But, use of radioactive materials in medical devices is regulated by AERB. In India, we can even create our own medical device and test it on our neighbour. A bill proposed to solve this is due in the Parliament for approval. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation is also responsible for some level of device regulation in India. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

IntervIew Microcontrollers:

Most ConneCted deviCes Are Nodes At The Last Centimetre of networks SANJAY GUPTA

DIRECTOR, AUTOMOTIVE BU, NXP SEMICONDUCTORS

Future of the microcontroller (MCU) market depends on users’ preference for smart and connected devices. How have MCUs advanced in response to this preference? Sanjay Gupta, director, automotive BU, NXP Semiconductors spoke with Dilin Anand from EFY

Q. What would you like to see in an MCU designed for the Internet of Things (IOT)? A. The IoT demands two things from MCUs—minimal power consumption and lowest possible cost. Pushing intelligence into an MCU allows for a simple and robust radio that can transmit and receive wireless data. Since the MCU usually has the most resources in terms of memory, processing power as well as digital and analogue integration, this configuration gives it the most versatility, enabling it to leverage and optimise all of its resources.

Q. Could you give us an idea of the role of MCUs for the IoT market from an engineering perspective? A. In broad terms, the IoT comprises three elements: edge devices, which often perform one dedicated function; hubs or fusion devices, which integrate data from edge devices; and larger processing elements. Most connected devices are nodes located at the last centimetre of networks. The small nodes used for connectivity and sensor hubs to collect and log data are primarily based on MCU platforms.

Q. What is the key technology trend that design engineers look for? A. MCUs have dramatically dropped their RUN currents, allow72

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ing these to run more often, thereby allowing more features to be designed into the application software. Performance-per-watt levels have evolved in many embedded applications to enable power-efficient designs that help conserve energy. Energy trends and power management are thus the key technology trends that designers are looking for nowadays.

Q. What elements are driving lower power consumption in the newer generation of MCUs? A. Many regulatory bodies have made it compulsory for consumer electronic companies to display energy-efficiency ratings. Sleep modes have evolved over the years, by optimising voltage levels and clock frequency. Small bits of programmable logic are also being added. One can now stitch together peripherals the way they want within the MCU and have it operate in sleep mode at tiny current levels. Low-power MCUs also reduce the emissions radiated. Powerconsumption estimation differentiates because the average node duty factor, fd (node activity ratio), is different between clocked nodes and unclocked nodes.

Q. Some engineers say that features previously seen in micropro-

cessors are now seen in MCUs. What are your views on this? A. Features like sleeping end nodes, time synchronisation with access point beacons, packet storeand-forward and so on highlight the issues of complex system-on-chip MCUs. These either require custom software to extract maximum performance from their integrated peripherals or suffer the penalties of reduced versatility or increased power consumption from running more generic code.

Q. What are some exciting features in modern MCUs? A. Earlier this year Kinetis MCU was recognised as one of the industry’s first development boards to fully support mbed. mbed is an open source project managed by ARM that works as a platform and operating system for Internet-connected devices. Another focus area is to significantly speed and simplify software development. Further, encryption/tamper-detection features and ultra-low-power capabilities extend MCUs’ reach beyond traditional mPOS pin pads and terminals into more powerrestricted payment applications such as smartphone and tablet attach readers as well as those embedded in wearable technology. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Manufacture Part 2 of 2

Wearable Devices: Essential Inputs for Design Engineers

I S.A. Srinivasa Moorthy is CEO, Andhra Pradesh Electronics and IT Agency

Setting devices before workout

WWW.EFYMAG.COM

n the first part of this article we defined and classified wearables, and covered the designing and manufacturing phases of the life cycle of a wearable product. In this concluding part we look at the testing and support phases, wearable system software and development phase. Testing phase. The third important aspect is how the assembled board and product is tested. Conventionally, PCBs have test points (these are PCB pads of specific dimensions). Testers known as beds of nail testers test these assembled PCBs. These testers have a set of spring-loaded nails that are positioned against each test point. The test electronics under the control of test program tests every node by applying a stimulus and checks the response of the node and compares it with the response of a good PCB (known as gold board). This type of testing is good when PCB sizes are not too small. However, most wearable devices use miniature PCBs and flex cables, and testing of these boards calls for special techniques. Such boards do not have space for test pads as these are crammed with components. So a frequently-used technique known as bead probe testing is used. Fig. 4 shows the conventional test pad and bead probe test pad for better understanding. In this test method, instead of a separate test pad (typically a pad of 40mil diameter), a bead is formed (a solder bead of 20mil diameter) on the PCB trace and the tester probe probes this point and tests the PCB. This enables miniature PCBs to be tested without much difficulty. However, to implement this testing, designers have to prepare the PCB with this feature. And they need to work with the

test engineering team of the EMS partner to locate the probes for proper balancing of the PCB when testing is carried out. Another method used, when the wearable device has only one CPU (which is normally the case), is called JTAG testing (this needs about five to seven test points, regular or bead probes). It is used to test the entire assembled PCB. This technique is popular and costs low but needs the designer’s time and efforts. One challenge in JTAG method is, if the controller IC is brand new and is being used in the product for the first time, most chip vendors may not have the required JTAG test file (known as Boundary Scan Description Language or BSDL file) ready. This can happen when the company that makes the wearable device expects a large volume and goes for a dedicated custom application specific integrated circuit, making JTAG testing difficult initially. Finally, since most wearable devices measure very low analogue signals, these need to be calibrated once the product is assembled completely. This is the responsibility of the design team, and they need to train the EMS partner on the calibration process as well as the calibration equipment. Many a time this is missed and product shipment is delayed due to difficulty in calibration. Use phase. This phase is where the product actually goes into the hands of the users. One big challenge that designers face is how exhaustively they have covered the product use cases (right way of using the product) and misuse cases (wrong way of using the product). While most designers are able to cover the right use cases well, they fail to do so for the wrong use cases. In fact, testing for wrong use cases is a unique feature that medical device developers must use when developing medical devices. Most designers think that by displaying disclaimers about wrong usage they can cover their liability. But the risk is that, ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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Manufacture there are corner cases where products fail despite being used correctly. Let us take the case of a wearable that has a magnetic-field-sensitive sensor. In the normal usage, it does not get impacted, but if a user wearing the device goes near an equipment that has a high magnetic field (like a big transformer), the wearable can fail due to the sensor being impacted by the external field. A disclaimer cannot adequately describe this situation, and the user may not be able to avoid going near the system. In these cases, product shielding needs to be designed so that no external magnetic field can impact the wearable device. Second issue is the biocompatibility of the material used. Since the wearable device will be in contact with users’ skin for extended periods, materials used should be safe and not cause any skin problems. This poses challenges in terms of costs and processes. Biocompatible materials are sometimes expensive and also need special processes to manufacture. Designers need to factor this in the design phase itself. This problem is acute when the product enclosure is metallic. In addition, if devices have probes that are metallic and need to touch the skin, these invariably need special gels to ensure good contact, and the materials also need to be safe for use. One of the frequently faced problems is water ingress inside the wearable devices. In many cases, initially, the product remains waterproof but sometimes seals that were used for prevention of water ingress wear out over a period of time, in turn, losing the ability to prevent the water from entering. Designers need to factor this as well and ensure that proper material is selected. Designers can define the product usage period (useful life) so it can be discarded once the prescribed time is over. This works well when the product cost is low, but if the product is expensive, a proper mechanism of 74

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Fig. 4: A conventional test pad and a bead probe test pad

inspection and preventive check is a must if the design has aging issues. This is especially true in the case of a wearable device used for medical applications, where the product cost is high and customers tend to use it for a longer period. Finally, sometimes wearable devices may have consumables such as gels, pads and wipes. These have to be consistent and their tolerances have to be within the specified limits. Many a time, as time passes, cost pressure takes precedence and companies switch over to a low-cost material, which impacts the product, leading to failures. This happens also when some critical inputs are forgotten or missed out. This must be kept in mind. Support phase. Most wearable devices are use-and-throw types at the end of their life or when gone faulty. This is due to the low cost of the products and high repair costs. Product manufacturing process in this case uses a specialised procedure that cannot be replicated in the repair centre. However, when the product is expensive (like some medical equipment), it must be supported and would need to be repaired. If this is a requirement from the beginning, designers have to plan and implement this in the design phase itself. They need to clearly define a process, which will achieve the same type of assembly that is done at the manufacturing line, ensuring product integrity and reliability. An important support issue is software upgrade; most wearable devices when launched do not have the full complement of the features and may also have bugs. Designers need to make provisions for the following two important aspects:

1. Provide a reliable communication mechanism through which the software can be upgraded. 2. Provide adequate internal memory so that if the upgrade process fails, the product can still work with an earlier version of the software. Both of these provisions should be planned in the design phase and implemented. Another way to tackle this issue is to keep the software functionality to bare minimum and carry out all complex operations either on the central application or on a smartphone, depending on where the application is running. This also ensures that cost of hardware is kept low and the software is simple, so that it can be tested and does not need an upgrade, if properly tested. With the option of software upgrade being done in the application, largevolume device software upgrade related issues can be reduced.

Wearable system software Software for wearable devices is completely dependent on design consideration, functionality of the device and controllers used. However, there are certain generic elements that software developers need to keep in mind when deciding the software architecture of wearable devices. Following guidelines should be helpful when deciding on software architecture: 1. Use a standard-platform based architecture so that maintaining the software is easy. 2. Even when a simple two to three tasks functionality is needed, use of a real-time scheduler (kernel) allows predictable performance and ensures consistency in data, when data needs to be collected for a longer duration and data volume is high, along with time stamp. This particular aspect is very successful in a wearable device design, especially when healthcare functionality is implemented. 3. For complex functionalities, a Linux based platform is advantaWWW.EFYMAG.COM

geous. Customising the Linux kernel by removing unwanted drivers creates a compact footprint as well as tighter and verifiable codes. 4. Implement the power management function specifically for your hardware by measuring the power consumed and understand the battery that is being used. Many a time, using a generic power management function results in sub-optimal performance. Knowledge of processor core and the memory used is important for implementing the power management function. A wearable device’s success mostly depends on its battery life. 5. Ensure that the software is upgradable and also has sufficient headroom for code expansion in the hardware. It is advisable to have only about 70 per cent memory to be occupied when releasing the product. When the memory usage reaches 90 per cent, you can revise product hardware with a higher capacity. 6. Since most wearable devices store data before these are shipped out, ensuring a reliable mechanism that occupies optimal space to store data is important. For example, if the position of 1-switch data uses a byte, packing 8-switch data in one byte can save huge memory area. 7. C based application is suitable for real-time and critical time-sensitive applications. With proliferation of Java, designers tend to use it but for power-sensitive and performancecritical applications, languages like C are better suited.

Development process While lack of a process may be fine when the product volumes are small, as volumes increase it is risky not to have a process in place, especially in the case of wearable devices. Since most wearable devices interact with humans, and humans use these in their daily regimen, having design decisions documented by following a process will help avoid any future litigation. Let us see an example. You have designed a wearable WWW.EFYMAG.COM

device where you have calculated the battery life of 2.5 years and you certify that the device will work for two years before requiring a replacement. If a user continues to use this, let us say for three years, and the device fails and the user sues the company, you should be able to show your documentation to prove that your device is meant to work for two years and at best 2.5 years, and anything beyond is not guaranteed. Most medical devices have a well-documented process defined by ISO 13485 standard, and design process documents are stored till the product is withdrawn from the market. These files are known as design history files. The medical device development process is exhaustive and takes time and effort to create and maintain. While wearable devices need not have such a detailed process, there are a few documents that when created will help designers and the company to manage the product successfully. Given below are the essential documents that designers need to create and maintain for a successful wearable device: Product requirement document. This document captures every product feature that will be implemented. Every feature is uniquely numbered so that each requirement can be tested and validated. Material selection document. This document captures the details of all materials considered for product packaging and their characteristics, and the material chosen and technical reasons for the same. System architecture document. This document covers product architecture at the highest level (as block diagrams), the specific device chosen and the reason for that choice. This should also cover software architecture and software components chosen and the reason for choosing these. System safety analysis document. This document analyses the

safety features and the impact on the user and its safety. Let us say, due to some hardware problem the wearable device starts reading double heartbeat as normal. In this case, the software should have a feature that compares the reading with standard set limits and, if data is out of bound, raises an alarm. This comes in handy when the wearable measures body parameters and users use it for their daily health monitoring. So if wrong data is read by the system, it should not force users to change their daily routine due to this error. Critical design decision document. This document captures all critical design decisions covering selection of parts to the way PCB has been laid out, test strategy and test hooks, among others. This document comes in handy when the next-generation product has to be designed or when product revision has to be done. Test strategy document. This is a key document where the test strategy adopted for testing the PCB, product and calibration procedure and details of the tester are recorded. It helps in managing the yield as well as improving productivity. Above all, in case of failure, this document ensures isolation of the problem found in the manufacturing line. Product master record. This document captures the product’s serial numbers and corresponding test results with the measurement so that when failure due to aging happens, the reasons can be tracked back to the batch and the process involved. It is typically created out of manufacturing line and, during contract negotiation, data capture has to be put in contract. The primary idea behind this article was to demystify wearable devices and the essential characteristics these should have. While this article does not serve as a comprehensive guide, it does help to understand the intricacies of a wearable device design and how it can be designed for success. Concluded ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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dvd

Software And Tools To Enrich Your Digital electronic utilities SHANOSH KUMAR

Description UMHDL setup-2.0 IDE for learning HDLs

Some popular resources

UMHDL is an educational integrated development environment (IDE) intended for learning digital designing with programmable logic devices. By using hardware description languages (HDLs) through simulation, this open source tool allows learning VHDL language. Its front-end has an interface that allows writing code (with syntax highlighting), invokes an external VHDL compiler and simulator (such as GHDL) and displays the result of the simulation graphically as waveforms (invoking to GTKWave).

Finite Element Method Magnetics. This application is a Windows finite element solver for 2D and asymmetric magnetic, electrostatic, heat-flow and current-flow problems with graphical pre- and post-processors. DispcalGUI. DispcalGUI is a GUI for display calibration and profiling tools of Argyll CMS, an open source colour-management system. This software allows the user to calibrate and characterise display devices using one of the many supported measurement instruments along with support for multi-display setups and a variety of available settings like customisable white point, luminance and tone-response curve. There is also an option to create accurate lookup-table ICC profiles including some proprietary 3D LUT formats. The platform also allows checking the accuracy of profiles and 3D LUTs via measurements. Apache OpenOffice. It is an open source office productivity software suite. It contains a word processor (Writer), spreadsheet (Calc), presentation application (Impress), drawing application (Draw), formula editor (Math) and database-management application (Base). Version 4.1.2 contains major bug fixes as follows: • Bug fixes in Writer, Calc, Impress/Draw and Base • Better WebDAV and file-locking support; OpenOffice now able to properly interact with Microsoft Sharepoint • Redesign of PDF export dialogue for better usability on small laptop screens • Updates of underlying libraries has increased security and performance • Security vulnerability fixes applied in this version

KJWaves, SPICE3 GUI and waveform viewer KjWaves allows for easy modification and viewing of SPICE circuit files. It also reads SPICE3 RAW format (as well as GnuCap) and creates graphs of results through an interactive graphical user interface (GUI). It supports waveform maths and copying to clipboard, too.

Weka Weka is a collection of machinelearning algorithms for solving real-world data-mining problems. It is written in Java and runs on almost any platform. Algorithms can be called using Java codes or can be applied directly to a dataset.

openSCADA openSCADA is the companion project to Eclipse SCADA. It is platformindependent and based on a modern system design that provides security and flexibility. It provides develop76

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ment libraries, interface applications, mass configuration tools, front-end and back-end applications.

TANGO TANGO is an open source toolkit for building high-performance and highquality distributed control systems for small and large installations. The toolkit design is based on the concept of distributed devices or objects and provides native support for multiple programming languages. It implements a full set of tools for developing, managing and monitoring small and large control systems.

Linux. Support and documentation is free from its large, dedicated community of users, contributors and developers.

Tizen SDK

LibreCAD

Tizen SDK is a comprehensive set of tools for developing Tizen Web and native applications. It consists of an IDE, emulator, toolchain, sample code and documentation. Tizen SDK runs on Windows and this edition of DVD has 634-bit and 32-bit versions of the software. Tizen applications can be developed without relying on official Tizen IDE, as long as the application complies with Tizen packaging rules.

LibreCAD is a free open source computer-aided design (CAD) application for Windows, Apple and

Shanosh Kumar is working as media consultant at EFY, Bengaluru. He is currently pursuing MBA from Christ University, Bengaluru WWW.EFYMAG.COM

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dvd

Signal ProceSSing With Sonic Visualiser PRIYA RAVINDRAN

W

ith electronic signals becoming a way of life, it is important for researchers to process and then analyse these effectively. The signal could simply be a spectrum from MATLAB or the graph of a song. The software we are going to cover in this article is an application for viewing, analysing and annotating the contents of audio files. In other words, this is a piece of software developed to aid you with signal processing. The fact that this tool is licensed under GNU general-public licence and runs on Linux, OSX and Windows, makes it easily adaptable. Take a look at www.sonicvisualiser.org when you have time. For now, let us learn how to use this software to understand electronic signals.

Fig. 1: An audio signal and its spectrum on a Russian version of the software

Analysing data in the message The simplest way to study a signal is to see the information it contains at different time instants. A traditional waveform-peak display of the input audio signal is simply a plot of amplitude versus time, highlighting the peak and mean values. From amplitude, we can derive information about aspects like power and signal propagation, thereby analysing its waveform, which is the simplest way to learn from a signal. This tool allows us to view amplitude in linear, decibel or a non-linear metered mode, which is intended to make peaks more apparent than dB scale, but quiet sections easier to see than linear scale. We can also control gain of the display and normalise the visible area so as WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Fig. 2: Analysing the spectrogram of a part of the signal

to ensure full-scale displacement for the largest value in the visible section of the waveform. A waveform may also have different channels and we can choose to have these as individual ones, or one channel that is a summation of all. For stereo audio, enabling butterfly mode shows positive peaks corresponding to one channel and negative peaks for the other.

Dissecting the signal to find underlying frequencies Most times, real-world signals are a combination of many frequencies. Using Sonic Visualiser, you can visualise the signal as a spectrum layer or a spectrogram layer. The spectrum is a plot of intensity versus frequency at a given point in time. The scale animates as audio is played, ELECTRONICS FOR YOU PLUS | FEBRUARY 2016

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Sample use-case scenarios for Sonic Visualiser 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Create perfect sound clips for your Power Point presentation. Become a detective and make a forensic discovery. Boost old audio files that could be on their way to lost space. Create a voice-recognition system. Play some of the most-common audio formats (such as WAV, MP3, AIFF, AVR, FLAC, OGG and RAW) as well as less-popular file types (AU, CAF, HTK, IFF, MAR, MPC, PVR, RF64, SDS, W64, WVE and XI). Import and overlay annotation layers (CSV, LAB, MID and TXT) on top of waveform representations. Use plugins to automatically calculate annotations, taking into account tuning and sound pitch.

While viewing an audio tone as an electrical signal, there is the advantage of knowing where what is happening and process it to make the signals more pleasing Fig. 3: Locating beats using Vamp plugin

making the experience smooth. As the wave progresses, various frequencies can be connected by lines, steps or blocks. A spectrum can be considered a vertical slice of a spectrogram (a spectrogram describes the change in frequency over time). Brightness or colour of pixels indicates the phase changes. An online course explains a spectrogram thus, “Speech is a continuous flow: phones are not discrete or distinct from each other, but these merge into one another, and spectrograms assess and visualise this continuity.” Both of these visualisations allow us to change the scale and range of the signal in display. We can even observe waveforms in different colours according to frequency. A very useful colour-rotation feature for sudden transitions helps isolate areas with similar signal levels. To obtain the spectrum or spectrogram, a series of Fourier transforms have to be applied to the signals. We can set window size for a frequency-time balance, fix window overlap to decide the proportion of overlap and select window 2 II

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shape from a list of Hamming, Hann (also known as Hanning), Blackman, Blackman-Harris and Nuttall (cosine based windows), Gaussian, Parzen, triangular and un-windowed (rectangular) options. Hann window is the default and should be appropriate for most purposes.

A few layers for handy viewing For perfect time analysis of the signal, we can add vertical lines corresponding to a given time instant, label instants, display points differently, connect these via lines/curves or even segment regions. A note layer that helps group points as notes, a region layer to apply a particular operation on just a section of the signal and a text-and-image layer are also present. Often, harmonic notes lead to confusion in audio analysis, and to help with this, this tool offers a harmonic scale to pinpoint respective signal frequencies. There is also a colour 3D-plot option for signals that have groups of frequencies at different time instants, with each group having its own value. The plot is not editable and appears only when a transform WWW.EFYMAG.COM

whose output is appropriate for grid display is applied, or when importing certain types of annotation data. For an instantaneous display of y-axis values of a 3D plot, we can invoke a slice layer. As Sonic Visualiser website puts it, “a slice is to a colour 3D plot as a spectrum is to a spectrogram.”

Plugins to generate new layers and create effects Third-party plugins can be used with Sonic Visualiser to enhance understanding of the input signal. The general format for audio-analysis and feature-extraction plugins is Vamp, which takes in audio input and generates output compatible with display of Sonic Visualiser layers. We could also have plugins in Linux Audio Developer’s Simple Plugin API (LADSPA) or Disposable Soft Synth Interface (DSSI) formats to create effects like compression or to generate data using controlling parameters like sine-wave tone or white and pink noise.

Other simple, yet indispensable features A measure tool helps us select the exact range of the signal we want to work with, or maybe observe repeatedly to detect something amiss. A friendly and appealing user interface lets us customise everything from default frequency to background colour. Sonic Visualiser is structured around panes and layers. Panes are horizontally-scrollable areas that can be stacked one above the other, and a pane can have any number of layers in it. Easy export and import of audio files using export layer and handy annotation add to the glitz.

A mini iPod for signal processing Processing a signal requires revisiting segments repeatedly, making changes to portions and studying results closely. Sonic Visualiser comes to our aid by offering a hassle-free

playback-and-pause platform. Much like a media player, we can use keyboard shortcuts to control the signal being viewed. It is also easy to align different waveforms along the same time scale and instant. This comes in very handy while comparing signals to find differences between similar-looking ones or when viewing multiple files concurrently. We can even time-stretch playback, slowing it down to as little as ten per cent of the original speed, while retaining a synchronised display. Version 2.5 released in October 2015 works on Pentium4 and AMD64 processors. Developed at Centre for Digital Music, Queen Mary, University of London, and partially funded by many organisations, this month’s DVD gives you the package for easy download. Let us begin our experiments with audio signals. Priya Ravindran is a technical journalist at EFY

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BAZAAR

An excellent platform to get noticed

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Section Highlights

• Dedicated Section on LEDs & LED Lighting • In Conversation with Industry Experts • Product Focus • New Product Launches • Upcoming Market Trends • Government Guidelines & Policies

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R: A DAtA-AnAlysis And stAtisticAl-computing Tool JAI SACHITH PAUL

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is a statistical-computing environment that consists of a language along with a run-time environment with graphics, a debugger, access to certain system functions and the ability to run programs stored in script files. Implementation of R is heavily influenced by two programming languages: S and Scheme. R has inherited strong object-oriented features from S language. The underlying implementation and semantics of the software is inspired from Scheme. R provides a wide range of statistical techniques such as linear and non-linear modelling, classical statistical tests, time-series analysis, classification clustering and more. Communication engineers make use of R for various signalprocessing techniques such as filter design and processing of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. The software was initially created by Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman at University of Auckland, New Zealand, in 1993, and is currently being developed by R Development Core Team. The latest stable release of R version 3.2.3 is bundled in DVD accompanying this month’s EFY Plus.

Why I should go for R With a lot of software packages available for data analysis and statistical computing, one might question the relevance of yet another package for carrying out the same. Benefits of R being a language. R is not an easy-to-learn language by itself. But definitely it has a IV

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Fig. 1: Reproducing ECG signals from raw data (Courtesy: http://biostatmatt.com)

lot of advantages over other dataanalysis tools, if you could master it. R, being a highly-interactive language, allows the programmer to experiment and explore new areas and new functionalities. This would not be even possible if the dataanalysis tool was not a language. The script can be re-run any time, on any machine. Cutting-edge analytics. A powerful analytics software should be capable of accepting data in various formats, manipulating and convert-

And so they called it R There are two reasons behind the naming of this software. First, it comes from the names of its two creators, Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman. Second, the name R acknowledges its inspiration from software S.

ing it to traditional and modern statistical models. R does all of these. Various manipulations like transforms, merge, aggregations and so on are carried out on accepted data WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Fig. 2: Sample R code (Courtesy: www.joyofdata.de)

and statistical models like regression and tree model are prepared. These techniques allow academicians and researchers around the world to develop latest methods in statistics, machine learning and predictive modelling. There are thousands of packages in every domain that extend the capabilities of R to adapt to various applications and their number increases day by day. Faster yet reliable results. With the ability to mix and match models to yield better results, a normal R programmer can yield faster, yet accurate, results. The code can be automated and thus be reproduced, nourishing greater research.

Challenges faced while coding in R Engineers who are new to R face certain challenges when they are introduced to R for the first time. Mastering the language. R is not an easy-to-learn language. The WWW.EFYMAG.COM

documentation style could have been more user-friendly so that the language would have more user base. Memory and speed issues. R software is designed to be more generic in nature and programmers code it to suite their applications. Till date there are over 2000 applications developed extending the functionalities of R. Obviously, R is not the best for certain applications. There are memory and speed issues when extending the code for certain applications. Syntax of the program. For a professional programmer, syntax of the script might look somewhat untidy when compared to other languages like Python.

How a communication engineer can make use of R As discussed earlier, R is designed to be a generic tool and not an electronic design automation tool. ELECTRONICS FOR YOU PLUS | FEBRUARY 2016

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With the help of functions ported from other open source packages, R handles signal-processing tasks pretty decently. These could be filter design or ECG signal analysis; researchers across the globe make efficient use of this tool for their applications. As a signal-processing tool. “Bulk of R’s basic signal-processing capability comes from the signal package that was ported over from the open source project Octave,” points out Joseph Rickert in his blog titled ‘R and Signal Processing.’ The so-ported signal package can be used to perform signalprocessing functionalities including filtering, filter generation, resampling, interpolation and visualisation of filter models. These models are quite similar to the ones in MATLAB and hence anyone who has mastered the latter can easily switch over to this open source alternative. When it comes to statistical analysis, time-series capabilities of R are superior to proprietary software like Fig. 3: Spectrogram and FFT of original and filtered signal (Courtesy: www.joyofdata.de) MATLAB or an open source rival like SAS. There are A language with unlimited For biomedical signal processwrappers for MIT package for Fast possibilities ing. Biomedical engineers have Fourier Transforms called FFTW, made effective use of the tool to dynamic linear modelling filter With more than 7000 additional packadapt to various biomedical signalfunction based on singular value ages extending the functionalities to processing tasks. Matt Shotwell has decompositions for Kalman filtering 2000 applications, R has emerged as developed a reproducible R script for Maximum Likelihood and Bayesa statistical-computing environment for analysis of ECG signals using a ian dynamic linear models. with unlimited possibilities. Users can windowed (Blackman) sinc low-pass utilise the code developed by othR gives the freedom to users to filter. For eliminating high-frequency explore Wavelets. They can make ers in the open source community to noise above 30Hz, a low-pass filter use of filters, transforms and multi adapt to their application. Hopefully, is applied to the signals at the first resolution analysis from the wavewe can expect more communications stage. In order to eliminate the slow lets package. For de-convolution and signal-processing applications wave that corresponds to respiraon noisy signals, users can utilise to be actively developed on R in the tions, the filter at a cut-off frequency WaveD transform. waveslim and near future. of 1Hz is applied. You can find the wavethresh are other advanced reproduced ECG signals from raw wavelet signal-processing packages The author is assistant professor, department of ECE at SETCEM, Thrissur data in the image alongside. bundled in R. VI

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Let Us Learn how to Program 8085 JAI SACHITH PAUL

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tudy of microprocessors is an integral part of the engineering programme, when we are taking up a course on electronics or any related discipline. And 8085 is probably the first microprocessor that we get in touch with as a part of the curriculum. Students are usually just given some basic handson training using standard boards with a keypad. Whenever we are dealing with hardware, there is always a chance for it to fail. Moreover, there are some practical concerns while learning microprocessors using boards. If you would like to simultaneously determine the status of all the registers at a time, or analyse the working in varying speed of simulations, a trainer kit may have limitations. For electronics enthusiasts willing to learn programming of microprocessors, but limited by the availability of trainer kits, there are a handful of simulators available online as open source. In this article, let us have a look at one such 8085 simulator.

The 8085 programming model 8085 processor has a set of seven 8-bit registers including the accumulator and six others, namely, B, C, D, E, H and L. Depending upon applications, the registers other than the accumulator can be used either as independent byte-registers or as 16-bit register pairs. A 16-bit special-purpose register called program counter is available in the microprocessor. It stores the address of the next instruction to be fetched. A 16-bit stack pointer stores WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Screenshot of 8085 simulator

Software at a glance Name Licence Pre-requisites

: 8085 Simulator version 2.0 : GNU GPLv2 : Needs Java 6 update 16; available from javadl.sun.com/webapps/ download/AutoDL?BundleId=33889

the address of the last byte entered into the stack. Program Status Word comprising the accumulator and status registers is modified as per given instructions. An accumulator stores the result of an arithmetic and logical operation, and the result affects the content of various status registers.

What the simulator consists of The simulator is designed to be very user-friendly and simulations are to be at par with actual hardware

simulations. Let us have a quick look at the interesting features offered by the tool. Assembler editor. This allows the user to input numerical data in binary, decimal and hexadecimal formats. The programmer can insert comments, label instructions and check errors using the editor. There are provisions for auto-correct, auto-intend and syntax highlighting. Moreover, users are allowed to run programs written in other simulators in this editor. ELECTRONICS FOR YOU PLUS | FEBRUARY 2016

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efy Disassembler editor. In most cases, the user is allowed to reverse-trace the original program successfully from the original code using this editor. The editor supports loading of hexadecimal file format that is specific to Intel. Assembler workspace. The workspace contains Address field, Label, Mnemonics, Hex-code, Mnemonic size, M-cycles and Tstates. While it supports the statictiming diagram for all instructions, dynamic-timing diagram for step-by-step simulations are also supported. It also provides error checking facility. Memory and I/O editors. The memory editor allows users to choose memory range and to modify data in a particular memory location. Users can either view the entire memory content or the one in the loaded memory location. They can store data directly into a specified memory location. The I/O editor required for peripheral interfacing enables users to edit the content directly. Interrupt editor. An interrupt is a mechanism by which an instruction suspends normal execution of the program and gets itself serviced. A non-maskable interrupt cannot be ignored by standard interrupt-masking techniques in the system, while a maskable interrupt can be disabled by writing some instruction. The simulator supports a non-maskable interrupt in 8085 (TRAP), maskable vectored interrupts (RST 7.5, RST 6.5 and RST 5.5) and an externally-serviced

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Printing contents The software allows the user to print contents of the assembler and the workspace. The equivalent binary value corresponding to the values of each register in the register bank can be printed. Values present in accumulator, registers B, C, D, E, H and L and memory (M) can all be retrieved. Users can also access contents in Flag Register, Stack Pointer (SP), Memory Pointer (HL), Program Status Word (PSW), Program Counter (PC), Clock Cycle Counter, Instruction Counter and special blocks for monitoring Flag Register and usage of SIM and RIM instructions.

interrupt (INTR). The interrupt editor allows triggering of these interrupts by pressing appropriate columns in the interrupt table. Debugger. The debugger allows users to have a step-by-step debugging of programs by traversing a program both forwards and backwards. They can put break points and continue the program from breakpoints. Simulator. The simulator allows three levels of simulations. Users can have a step-by-step execution where they can halt between lines and simulate the code step by step. In the normal speed of execution, full execution takes place reflecting the intermittent states periodically. The ultimate execution reflects final state directly.

Supporting features Crash recovery. Even if there is a sudden shutdown or crash of the application, the user can easily recover the program in this simulator. Helper. Even if the user has very limited knowledge about user code, Code Wizard tool helps in programming 8085. The software is preloaded with a lot of sample programs

THE COMPLETE MAGAZINE ON OPEN SOURCE

to aid new users. The user manual further aids these. Tools. The simulator has Insert DELAY Subroutine tool that allows users to generate a user-defined delay with the help of registers at a particular operating frequency. Memory values can be set at corresponding vector interrupt addresses with the help of Interrupt Service Subroutine tool. Number Conversion Tool facilitates inter-conversion between hexadecimal, decimal and binary number formats.

Enhanced laboratory experience The software is designed mainly for users who do not have sufficient hardware to learn microprocessor programming. It uses the same simulation engine at the back end and the user gets the same lab experience while coding in the simulator. Moreover, there are a lot of inbuilt sample programs to aid self-learning. If you are new to microprocessor programming and really interested in coding, give it a try. The author is assistant professor, department of ECE at SETCEM, Thrissur

Your favourite Magazine on Open Source is now on the Web, too.

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India Electronics Week 2016:

The New-Age

elecTroNics show One thing that set India Electronics Week (IEW) 2016 apart was the fact that a large fraction of its visitors were not regulars. For many, this was the first event that got them out of their offices. And going by their initial feedback, most were happy with their decision.

FACT SHEET Show dates: January 11-13, 2016

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ix co-located shows, 16 conferences, 180-plus exhibitors, 10,000plus visitors – a few figures to give you an idea about IEW 2016. The more interesting figures are 200-plus speakers, 3000-plus conference delegates, 30-plus per cent of visitors who travelled from outside Karnataka and, last but not the least, 35 per cent-plus who visited an electronics expo for the first time! With such great response, it was natural for Electronics For You team to not shift from Bengaluru as the city of choice for next year’s show, too. IEW 2017 is now all set to be held March 2-4, 2017 at BIEC, Bengaluru. Through this brief report we attempt to share key highlights of what transpired at this year’s IEW, with the hope that it will motivate you to experience the show first hand next year, rather than read about it here. Read on... 78

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Location: Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India Event space (gross): 10,000+ sqm Number of exhibitors: 184 Brands represented: 500+ Unique visitors: 10,874 Number of conferences and workshops: 18 Number of speakers: 207 Number of major buyers invited at Buyer-Seller Meet: 16 WWW.EFYMAG.COM

imAges sAy iT BeTTer ThAN words R.V. Deshpand industries, go e, hon’ble minister, largevernment of Ka an rnataka, inau d medium-scale gurating IEW 2016

Panel discussion at IET conference

Audience at the inaugural ceremony Inaugural session at CEO Summit

Inaugural session at LED Lighting Summit

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IPC India Hand Soldering competit

Visitors at IEW 2016

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Panel discussion on Standardisation for the IoT Ecosystem

Panel discussion on How to Handle Security for the IoT

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Business events at iew 2016 CEO Summit

LED Lighting Summit

Put together with the help of ELCINA, the summit discourse was based on the theme ‘Invest in India – The Multi-Billion-Dollar ESDM Opportunity.’ It was graced by the presence of R.V. Deshpande, hon’ble minister of large- and medium-scale industries, government of Karnataka as chief guest, along with K. Ratnaprabha, additional chief secretary to government of Karnataka, Commerce and Industry Department, and Arun Sachdeva, senior director, DeitY, government of India, as guests of honour. Senior-level speakers across the electronics industry such as Vikram Desai, president - ELCINA and MD, Desai Electronics, Vinod Sharma, MD, Deki Electronics Ltd, N. Ramachandran, MD, MEL Systems and Services, Sreeram Srinivasan, CEO, Syrma Technology, Prabhu P.M., MD, Bosch Automotive Electronics, Pankaj Gulati, VP - ELCINA and COO, CDIL, K.P. Sharma, India head - GSC, Schneider Electric and others discussed ways to boost investment in electronics manufacturing in India. The summit also covered the need for investment and opportunities in the electronics industry for design and innovation. Richard Puthota, director, Cookson India, Vinay Shenoy, MD, Infineon Technologies, Anilkumar Muniswamy, MD, SLN Technologies, S.A. Srinivasa Moorthy, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Electronics, Dr Kumar Sivarajan, CTO, Tejas Networks, and Rajeev Ramachandra, CTO, Mistral Solution, presented their views on the same. Role of infrastructure and low-cost finance to create the appropriate investment climate for the electronics industry in India was another interesting topic that was covered. T. Vasu, advisor - Tandon Group, and Subhash Goyal, MD, Digital Group and expresident, ELCINA, discussed the importance of infrastructure and low-cost finance, while S. Thiruvadi, MD, CanBank Venture, and Anadi Charan Sahu, GM, SIDBI, shared valuable information on the availability of the same.

With strong emphasis on energy-efficient lighting technology, the summit was co-organised by ELCOMA, the apex body of lighting manufacturers in India, and EFY. The conference brought together around 160 participants representing the entire cross-section and stake-holders in LED lighting, top LED lighting and component manufacturers, government end-users (leading municipalities), bulk buyers, regulatory and standardisation authorities, consultants, lighting architects, testing and certification bodies and so on. Experts from the LED industry and government bodies discussed various business and technology trends. Shyam Sujan, secretary general, ELCOMA, Arun Sachdeva, senior director, DeitY, Shekhar Bajaj, CMD, Bajaj Electricals, and Ramesh Chopra, executive chairman , EFY Group, discussed the future of the LED industry. Other interesting sessions included: • LVDC: The Future of Electricity by Vimal Mahendru, president, Legrand, India • LED, The Good and Not-So-Good Stories by Sudeshna Mukhopadhyay, senior director, Centre for competence, lighting applications and head of Philips Lighting Academy, Philips Lighting, South Asia • LED: A journey from Lumen to Digital Lumen by S. Chakrabarty, VP, Luminaires BU, Bajaj Electrical Ltd • LED Street Lights with Controls by Uma Lanka, DGM, design and business development, Crompton & Greaves • Indian Standards on Lighting and Its Mandatory Implementation by Debdas Goswami, scientist-F and headBureau of Indian Standards (BIS) • LED Market Trends and New Component Technology for the Future by Ita Lin, CEO, MLS India • Government Procurement Programme for LED Streetlighting and DELP Programme for LED Lamps by Rajneesh Rana, DGM, Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) • LED Indian Standards and Its Compliance by Puneet Randeo, business development head, UL India • LED Photobiological Issues by K. Vijay Kumar Gupta, MD, Kwality Photonics Pvt Ltd

IET Conference The IET hosted the first-of-its-kind conference in India that focused on ways to help start-ups and business enterprises to monetise the Internet of Things (IoT). Titled ‘Simplifying the Puzzle: Generating Money in Internet of Things,’ the event showcased success stories from industry experts who have exploited the monetary potential of the IoT. Futuristic trends, potential challenges and guidelines to implement IoT programmes were discussed in detail during the conference. The conference also had two panel discussions on ‘The IoT as a Thrust to Revenue Generation’ and ‘The IoT for Cost Optimisation to Margin Improvement’ featuring panellists from companies like Aeris, Bosch, Credit Suisse, Cisco, Intel, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung and Vodafone.

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Get Funded “For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument and debate.” This high-spirited slogan marked the outcome of Get Funded 2016 event. This get-together of innovators and investors marked the perfect platform for start-ups to find their calling and investors their prize. The over-crowded boardroom provided enough proof, and the event was tagged as one of the most interesting and creative ones in its segment. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

EXHIBITORS’ VIEWS The event jointly organised by FHS Idealabs and EFY had an interesting line-up of companies, tech-gurus and electronics enthusiasts with path-breaking ideas in their minds.

Vendor Development Workshop by Ministry of Defence Commander P.K. Bhattacharya from Ministry of Defence, government of India, discussed the opportunities available for Indian electronics manufacturing companies to be offset partners or vendors under defence offset policy.

Buyer-Seller Meet The meet provided a unique platform for exhibitors to meet 16 large buyers of electronics products, services components and manufacturing equipment, LED lighting and components, and IoT hardware, among others. This year more than 100 meetings took place between buyers and sellers across three days.

BUYERS’ VIEWS “I have been participating as a VIP buyer since 2012. During my visits I met many potential vendors.”—Shanaka Perera, purchasing manager, Variosystems (Sri Lanka) “Well organised! Online appointments were very useful to plan meetings. I met close to 20 sellers in two days time.”—Nandha Gopala Krishnan R., assistant manager - global sourcing management Asia, Stanley Black and Decker Inc. “Excellent initiative! Enables buyers to focus better on

potential vendors.”—Ganesh Babu Sreenivasan, global planning and supply manager, Lenovo India Pvt Ltd “Buyer-Seller meet was very well organised. I am fond of EFY for making continuous efforts to improve its event.”—Prashant Singh Garhwaliya, sourcing, Panasonic Automotive (India) “Meetings were organised in a controlled environment, which was good for discussions.”—Vijay Anand, sourcing leader - electronics, GE Healthcare “Overall organisation was very good. However, there is need to categorise the vendor industry and enable members to meet particular industry buyers.”—A.R. Yuvaraj, AGM (Bengaluru), Bharat Electronics Ltd

“Good arrangement and hospitality! Wellorganised show! I feel non-exhibitors should also be invited to participate.”—S. Ramachandran, DGM operations, Syrma Technology

“Well-organised; look forward for more such meets with respect to the wind sector.”—Palani Rajan C., purchase department, Gamesa Renewable Pvt Ltd WWW.EFYMAG.COM

“Through this show we introduced a couple of new products in the Indian market and got some genuine customers from Bosch, BEL, Vario Systems (Sri Lanka), etc.” —Padmanabha Shakthivelu, national sales manager - India operations, Electrolube “What I like more about EFY’s event is their transparent way of attending customers, supporting them in media write-ups and editorial coverage. This allows us to showcase products online as well as in print.”—Paresh Vasani, MD, PCB Power (Circuit Systems India Ltd) “We received good response from scientists, decision makers, academicians and venture capitalists, all under one roof!”— Arjun Goel, director - technical, Saraswati Dynamics Pvt Ltd “We received some good enquiries. We plan to come here next year also.”—Rajiv Toshniwal, MD, Toshniwal Sensing Devices Pvt Ltd “A much better show from last time. Attendence was really good!”—Chris Palin, EMEIA manager, Humiseal “Fantastic! Looking forward to participate next year.”— Madhur Dogra, senior client engagement manager - India Region, Microchip “The conferences and exhibitions allowed us to interact with new designers from India.”—Niranjan G., GM (ASEAN and India), business development and technical marketing, ROHM Semiconductor “A valuable platform that helped us meet with the overall electronics industry ecosystem. We got many new customers”—Mukul Pareek, marketing program manager, Keysight Technologies “Being a national company, it was exciting to see good-quality crowd from across India.”—Sumit Sharma, marketing manager, Goodwill Instruments Co. Ltd “We participated for the first time and found it value for money. We plan to be here next year.”—Jiten Mahajan, MD, Innovative Premier Lighting Pvt Ltd “This exhibition has been quite successful for us. We got some good leads, especially from the south Indian market.”— Sudhanshu Gupta, sales director - India operations, Lumens Technologies “This is our fourth participation at EFY Expo. Overall the show was good but needs more publicity. I have already given confirmation for participation in next year’s show.”—Anand Bhansali, MD, Anand Industrial Components “We were extremely satisfied as far as visitors were concerned. We are looking forward to next year.”—C.A. Shyam S. Jindal, MD, Olive Exports Pvt Ltd “This is the first time we participated in this event. We are very happy to be a part of it and expect a lot of business through this event.”—L. Peter, manager, Ready LED Lighting Pvt Ltd “Participating in this expo has given us fantastic response. We saw limited but high-quality visitors from various industries like automation, education, EMS and more. We are really keen to participate more in such events.”—Azeem Merchant, CEO, Messung erfi “This is a great platform! We got good opportunity to talk to a lot of companies. The conferences were also good.”—Sai Venkat Kumar B., country marcomm, Tektronix (India) ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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Tech events at iew 2016 IoTShow.in Winning the coveted ‘People’s Choice Event of the Year’ award at the 5th annual Internet of Things Awards conducted by Postscapes, IoTShow.in was recognised as the event that has had the greatest impact worldwide on the IoT in 2015-16. The show saw more than 200 speakers discussing ways to develop viable IoT solutions, guiding and driving efforts to make sure that the IoT becomes a key part of modern business. Hon’ble Janardhana Swamy, former MP, and Venugopal KR, IEEE fellow, provided the perfect start for eRocks and IoTShow.in by enthralling the audience with a glimpse into the future. The various sessions that followed focused on smarthomes/smartcities, smarthumans, smart industry and office and smart automation. There was at least one session in each track that discussed taking a prototype to a complete product. Experts from across the globe came together for four panel discussions that saw them debating it out on stage, giving the audience a very realistic view of the behind the scene of a finished product. Eminent personalities from hard-core standardisation committees participated in ‘Standardisation for the IoT Ecosystem: An enabler? Or a roadblock?,’ which was moderated by Narang N. Kishor, convenor of the panel on smart infrastructure by BIS. Tearing apart the notion of security in the IoT space was the panel discussion on ‘Security of Things,’ moderated by Rishi Gaurav Bhatnagar, a maker, Intel software innovator and Arduino maker fellow. ‘Navigating the Hardware Start-Up Journey’ brought much excitement among the masses in an age where startups are the order of the day. The discussion was conducted by Satish Mugulavalli, CEO, RevvX. Take a look at some key sessions by star speakers. • Martin Woolley from Bluetooth SIG delivered talks on Putting the Smart in SmartHome with Bluetooth and Bluetooth Beacon Applications and Real-Word Developer Issues. • Dr Vijay Mishra from IISc spoke about nanotech sensors for human body health monitoring. • Threat Perception and Attack Scenarios in Automotive was handled by Dr. S.K. Sinha from IISc, while Prof. Bharadwaj Amrutur gave a talk on How We Developed a Wearable for Monitoring Newborns. • How to Build a Device That Keeps the Doctor Away was the tip Srinivasa Moorthy, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Electronics & IT Agency, gave to young designers. • Dr Srinivas Mandavilli, country manager, Imagination

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Technologies, spoke extensively on Building Secure, Flexible IoT Platforms.

LED Tech Conference Under the banner of LEDasia.in, IEW had an exclusive tech conference for the LED sector, where design challenges were tackled heads-on. Some topics of discussion were: • Conformal Coatings: Why We Need These and How To Maximise Their Effectiveness by Phil Kinner, global business and technical director, Electrolube. • Global Regulatory Compliance for LED Products by Kalyan Varma, VP - business stream products, TUV Rheinland • Next-Generation LEDs for Outdoor/Industrial Lighting by Senthilkumar Madasamy, field applications manager India, CREE India Pvt Ltd.

Makers in India Put together by Makers Asylum, the sessions revolved around converting an innovative idea into a product, one that sells in the market. With talks and demos revolving around this theme, this track was, as the title says, for all makers in India. Well, it does not stop there.

T&M Showcase Test and measurement (T&M) plays a critical role in the electronics industry. Equipped with an amazing line-up of presentations and equipment, presenters from various companies explained components and upgrades being applied in the industry. Overall, sessions enriched the audience and the Q/A sessions turned out to be quite interactive and informative.

IoTBLR Community Meet-up Being held for the third consecutive year along with EFY conferences, the Bengaluru based IoT meet-up group explored how one could go from an IoT solution idea to product and then to market. There was also a session by Karnataka Information Technology Venture Capital Fund (KITVEN Fund) on how IoT/electronics hardware entrepreneurs in Karnataka can access the latest ` 1 billion KARSEMVEN fund.

IPC Workshop and Hand Soldering Competition IPC India held a workshop on ‘PCBs - Problems Coming Back?’ Prof. Vidhu Mitter, an expert, discussed the reasons why problems come back, specifications and standards, WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Experts’ Views

processes and more. He also discussed the recently-revised standard, IPC-6012D - Qualification and Performance Specification for Rigid Printed Boards. The ninth IPC Hand Soldering Competition (HSC) was an integral part of IEW 2016. Excellence in workmanship skills was assessed as per IPC-A-610F class 3 requirements. India champion title and trophy was won by W. Ragini of Amara Raja Electronics Ltd. The title paved the way for her to go further in the competition with the doors to IPC World Championship now open. Ramesh Chopra, executive chairman, EFY group, awarded the India Champion trophy to the winner.

SMTA Conference Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) India chapter hosted a technical conference where evolving technologies in the electronics assembly industry were discussed. The track included sessions like: • Recent Technology Advances for Better X-Ray Images by Keith Bryant, chairman, SMART Group • Use of Complex Alloys to Achieve High-Reliability LeadFree Solder Joints by M.P. Rajaram, regional sales manager AE, India, Henkel Adhesive Technologies • Importance of Worst-Case Analysis for Electronic Systems to Enhance Product Survival Probability and Robustness by Pankaj Bansod, technical lead - reliability, Honeywell Technology Solutions Lab, India • Electrostatic Discharge Protection for SMT Production by Ankan Mitra, VP, SMTA India chapter

Defence Electronics Technical Conference Under the banner of Raksha India, a technical conference on defence electronics was conducted, which was supported by Buyer-Seller Meet and B2B Exposition. The technical conference had some interesting discussions, some of which are mentioned below: • Cyber Security and Implications for Acquisition, Design and Evaluation by Dr Subrata Rakshit, scientist-G, CAIR, DRDO • Design and Development of Cutting-Edge Technologies in Aerospace by S.P. Bhattacharya, executive director (Engg, R&D), HAL • Reliability and Quality Assurance for Satellite Systems by Prakasha Rao P.J.V.K.S, project director for GSAT 9, GSAT 17 and GSAT 18

Get Ready For 2017! WWW.EFYMAG.COM

“I compliment EFY, ELCINA and other organisers to have put together such a great show and I wish them great success for the event.”—K. Ratnaprabha, additional chief secretary to government of Karnataka, Commerce and Industries Department “We got very good feedback from people and also potential investors!”—Prasad H. L. Bhat, chairman and CTO, Astrome Technologies Pvt Ltd “It was great to see electronic tech enthusiasts all around, along with many information-sharing sessions in different domains.”—Kaustubh Karnataki, chief engineer, FluxGen Engineering Technologies Pvt Ltd “It was an absolute pleasure to be part of this event and I hope to be able to speak here again.”—Martin Woolley, technical program manager, Bluetooth SIG (Special Interests Group) “Kudos for bringing together different shows/expos to IEW 2016. Well-organised Buyer-Seller meet! It was well conducted by executives who were always available to help.”—Lt. Colonel Ashutosh Verma, Directorate of Indigenisation, Ministry of Defence

EVENTS AT A GLANCE 1. CEO Summit (January 11) 2. IPC Workshop (January 11) 3. T&M Showcase (January 11) 4. Defence Electronics Tech Conference (January 11) 5. Vendor Development Workshop (January 11) 6. LED Lighting Summit (January 12) 7. LED Tech Conference (January 12) 8. Get Funded (January 12) 9. IoT: Smart Human (January 12) 10. IoT: Smart Industry & Office (January 12) 11. IoT: Smart Auto (January 13) 12. IoT: Smart Home & Office (January 13) 13. IoTBLR Meetup (January 13) 14. IET’s IoT Conference (January 13) 15. Makers in India (January 13) 16. SMTA Workshop (January 13) 17. Buyer Seller Meet (January 11-13) 18. Workshops (January 12-13)

The Workshops To add to the knowledge-enhancing experience, the workshops delivered niche skills, with presenters guiding from experience. There were sessions on building your first open source smart agriculture project, two on dealing with commercial off-theshelf components, two on working with the IoT and others focusing on hard-core designing.

With plenty of feedback and positive encouragement, we hope to have a

bIggEr EvEnt nExt yEar, clearing away the glitches and putting up Look forWard to sEEIng you at IEW 2017, which will be held at the same venue on March 2-4, 2017. a better show.

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Industry NEWS MAKE IN INDIA

India witnesses US$ 1 billion private equity investment in renewable energy International investors have invested over US$ 1 billion in India’s renewable energy sector. By 2022, India aims to have a generating capacity of 100GW from solar power, 60GW from wind energy and 15GW from other renewable energy sources. This means that over the next seven years, a capacity of around 140GW needs to be added across the country. As we step into 2016, the road

towards building the renewable energy sector in India looks bright. The government has been quite vocal about the benefits of using renewable energy and the energy it saves for the country. The central government has been encouraging state governments to convince people to use solar energy and we are now witnessing the results of this sustained campaign.

SunEdison to invest US$ 2 billion in solar energy sector SunEdison Inc., a US based renewable company, is aiming to make an investment of US$ 2 billion in a facility that will make polysilicon in India. Polysilicon is used as a feedstock material in many solar energy applications. According to SunEdison’s CEO and president, Ahmad R. Chatila, the company is looking for an Indian partner to make the proposed investment. He has stated, “I am talking to people, but these things take longer

than I would like. It took me two years to negotiate the deal with Samsung in Korea.” The company is also on the look-out for a few locations to set up the unit. This news has come in the wake of the solar and wind energy major facing financial headwinds. They have been forced to sell off their assets globally along with walking away from a proposed takeover of wind energy major Continuum.

Solar tariff dips to ` 4.34 per unit Solar tariffs have dipped further as Fortum India won bids for one of the six projects of 70MW each. The project will be set up in Rajasthan. Fortum did a bidding of ` 4.34 per kWh for supplying power to NTPC. Apart from Fortum, Rays Power Infra and Solar Direct acquired two projects each. NTPC did a reverse bidding for 420MW solar power projects, which will be set up in Bhadla Solar Park II, Rajasthan. 84

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The six bids have come at a tariff that is much cheaper than the earlier lowest price or ` 4.63 per kWh, which was proposed by SunEdison and SB Energy. These were for two projects of 500MW and 350MW capacities respectively in Andhra Pradesh. The low bidding had definitely raised concerns regarding its prudency. However, it had elevated hopes for solar energy becoming a good alternative to thermal power minus subsidies.

On the Move Appointments at Wipro Wipro Ltd has announced the appointment of T.K. Kurien as executive vice chairman and Abidali Z. Neemuchwala as chief executive officer and member of the board of the company. Both appointments are effective from February 1, 2016.

Asim Warsi will head Samsung’s online division Asim Warsi, VP for mobiles and information technology, will be heading Samsung’s online division. He will be responsible for the marketing and sales of all products, including consumer electronics.

ASUS appoints Vinay Shetty as regional director for India, South Asia Vinay Shetty has been promoted to the post of regional director for India and South Asia for ASUS’s computer components and peripheral business. He will be replacing Levis Su, who has moved into the role of director for motherboards, ASUS Computers, China.

IAMAI appoints Kunal Shah as chairman Mobile Internet body IAMAI has appointed FreeCharge co-founder and CEO Kunal Shah as chairman. Established in 2004, IAMAI comprises mobile content and services, online publishing, mobile and online advertising, e-commerce and digital payments players, among others.

Binny Bansal to take over as Flipkart CEO Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal, who has been CEO since inception, will now take on the newly-created role of executive chairman, while his less-prominent co-founder Binny Bansal, who has been COO, will be CEO. The Bansals are unrelated, were at IIT Delhi around the same time and briefly worked together at Amazon before founding the e-commerce firm. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

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

Topics

Contact address for details

7th Edition Source India February 2-3, 2016 Hotel Green Park, Chennai

International buyer-seller meet and conference

Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA) Website: www.sourceindia-electronics.com

IESA Vision Summit 2016 February 3-4, 2016 Leela Palace, Bengaluru

Showcasing Indian ESDM update 2015: Report by IESA and E&Y, IoTBLR Connected Devices Makeathon and Makeathon awards, and a workshop on intellectual property powered by DeitY

IESA Vision Summit Website: www.iesaonline.org

ELECRAMA 2016 February 13-17, 2016 BIEC, Bengaluru

Serves the business needs of utilities, government, EPC consultants, contractors, electrical equipment manufacturers and generation companies

ELECRAMA 2016 Email: [email protected]

China Information Technology Expo April 8-10, 2016 Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre, China

Largest and most comprehensive exhibition of electronics and ICT industry in China

China Information Technology Expo Website: www.citexpo.org

Global Sources Electronics April 11-14, 2016 AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong

World’s largest electronics sourcing show

Global Sources Electronics Website: www.globalsources.com

National Electronics Weeks 2016 April 12-14, 2016 Birmingham, UK

UK’s largest gathering of electronics and manufacturing professionals

National Electronics Weeks 2016 Website: www.new-expo.co.uk

Global Sources Mobile Electronics April 18-21, 2016 AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong

World’s biggest mobile electronics sourcing show

Global Sources Electronics Website: www.globalsources.com

Connect EXPO April 19-20, 2016 Melbourne, Australia

Australia’s fastest growing business technology event with over 7000 visitors meet 200 exhibitors

Connect EXPO Website: www.connectexpo.com.au

Consumer Electronics China April 20-22, 2016 Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, China

Platform that unites international exhibitors with Chinese retailers keen to bring new products to their customers

CE China Website: www.b2b.ifa-berlin.com/en/ Exhibitors/ApplicationCEChina2016

Industrial Automation 2016 April 25-29, 2016 Hannover, Germany

Manufacturers present solutions for manufacturing and process automation, robotics, image processing, efficient drive technology and more

Industrial Automation 2016 Website: www.hannovermesse.de/en/ exhibition/trade-fair-line-up/industrialautomation/

Internet of Things Applications Addresses the opportunity for the Internet of Europe Things (IoT) April 27-28, 2016 Berlin, Germany

IDTechEx Website: www.idtechex.com

Del Mar Electronics & Design Show May 4-5, 2016 San Diego, California, USA

Covers electronic components, fabrication, design and other aspects of electronics manufacturing

Del Mar Trade Shows Inc. Website: www.mfgshow.com

CES Asia 2016 May 11-13, 2016 Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre, Shanghai, China

Premier event for the Asian consumer technology market for global brands and budding start-ups, alike

CES Asia Website: www.CESAsia.com

CommunicAsia2016 May 31-June 3, 2016 Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

International communications and information technology exhibition and conference

CommunicAsia2016 Website: www.communicasia.com

CWST-Expo2015 June 9-11, 2016 Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai

Presentation platform for coil winding, insulation, stamping, transformer manufacturers, coil winding machines and allied industry

Brandscope Exhibitions Phone: +91- 9699807207, 9899107207 Website: www.cwstexpo.com

8th Future of Wireless International Conference June 21-22, 2016 London, UK

A leading conference for discovering the latest Cambridge Wireless in cutting-edge wireless technology Website: www.cambridgewireless.co.uk/ futureofwireless

NIWeek August 1-4, 2016 Austin Texas, USA

Annual global conference for graphical system National Instruments design organised by National Instruments Website: www.ni.com/niweek

IFA Berlin September 2-7, 2016 Berlin, Germany

Leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances

IFA Berlin Website: www.b2b.ifa-berlin.com/en/IFA/ AboutIFA

Look up under ‘Events’ section in www.electronicsforu.com for a comprehensive list 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

UP gives VAT exemption for LED bulbs Uttar Pradesh government has instructed the concerned departments to roll out VAT exemption on LED bulbs across the state in a bid to minimise power consumption. The state government is also distributing LED bulbs free of cost, through special camps, to people across the state. Uttar Pradesh has been promoting the use of LED bulbs and solar energy in order to reduce pressure on conventional power sources. The state faces acute power supply shortage every summer, and purchases power from power-surplus states, taxing the limited financial resources of the state.

LED street-lighting made mandatory in Delhi Delhi power minister Satyendra Jain has announced that LED street-lighting has been made mandatory in the city, and this is being implemented. He said that tax reduction is not the solution for bringing down prices of LED bulbs. “Customers will move towards higher LED adoption through incentives, and manufacturers should try and bring in economies of scale in production. The government is already creating a market for it and will implement stringent quality standards to boost adoption. The main purpose is to ensure a reduction in energy wastage,” he added. Emphasising the issue of sustainability and energy consumption, Jain said that, around 60GW of electricity is being used in the capital for lighting alone, and pushed for efforts to reduce it by half.

Government approves electronics cluster in Raipur The government has approved the fifth greenfield electronics manufacturing cluster (EMC), to be set up in Raipur at an investment of ` 890 million, for making mobile phones, solar LEDs and consumer electronics products. The government plans to set up 200 ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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Snippets Government asks airports to set up solar energy units The civil aviation ministry has asked Airports Authority of India to make at least four airports energy-neutral by February 2017. As of now, Kochi airport is the only airport in the country that has installed solar panels to generate 12MW of power to meet its energy needs.

Usha Shriram forays into mobile The consumer durable brand, Usha, with a pan-India presence has announced its plan to venture into the fast-growing mobile handsets market with an exclusive range of GSM, CDMA feature and smartphones.

Micromax revenues cross ` 100 billion India’s domestic handset maker, Micromax, crossed ` 100 billion in annual revenues during 2014-15. The company’s sales grew by a whopping 47 per cent in 2014-15 to ` 104.5 billion.

IISc bags US military contract Bengaluru based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has bagged a US military contract for research and development on solar powered micro-grids. The contract, worth US$ 52,900, has been awarded by US Pacific Air Force to develop a solar powered micro-grid with battery and a super-capacitor energy storage system.

Telit acquires wireless communications assets Telit, a global enabler of the Internet of

EMCs across the country under National Policy on Electronics 2012. The government’s Department of Electronics and IT (DeitY) has already given in-principle approvals to 17 greenfield EMCs. It has approved four EMCs that include two in Madhya Pradesh, one each in Rajasthan and Jharkhand. Under the EMC scheme, the Centre provides an aid capped at 50 per cent of the project cost subject to a ceiling of ` 500 milion for every 100 acres of land. For larger areas, prorata ceiling applies.

India to capture ten per cent of medical tech market There are about 40 innovative medical devices and diagnostics launched 86

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Make in india Things, has agreed to acquire Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy and Near Field Communication assets in hardware and software from Stollmann Entwicklungs und VertriebsGmbh in Hamburg, Germany. Stollmann is a global player in the Bluetooth and NFC business, designing, developing and manufacturing cuttingedge, low-power Bluetooth modules and highly-sophisticated software solutions for short-range wireless communications.

Surya Roshni, Snapdeal to sell LED bulbs Domestic lighting company Surya Roshni has entered into a strategic alliance with e-commerce company Snapdeal in a bid to increase its market share of LED bulbs business. This tie-up initiates a disruptive trend in energy conservation by making LED bulbs affordable and within the reach of millions of people in tier II and III cities.

DevCon India 2016 announces winners of GR-Kaede Winners for the Renesas GR-Kaede design contest, which was done in partnership with EFY, were announced at the event conducted in Bengaluru. The three final designs are for Upasana diagnsotic toolkit for Asha workers, smart agriculture system and sign language recognition using sensor gloves. The event focused on embedded technologies being showcased by various firms as well as a two-day conference that focused on embedded technologies for system engineers.

by Department of Biotechnology that are sold across the country. Minister of science and technology, Harsh Vardhan, has said that some of these innovative and affordable products had received US FDA clearances, and about 51 patents had been filed. The minister added that India will capture ten per cent of the estimated US$ 600 million global market share of medical technology by 2025. Some products developed by the department, in association with scientific institutions, industry and public health organisations, include low-cost catheters, scanning devices and bandages, diagnostic devices, orthopaedic tools among others. As an outcome, more than 100

innovators have been trained. Several national and international patents have been filed. About 30 prototypes have been developed and nine startup companies have been established by the fellows and interns of this programme and 13 technologies have been licensed.

Tech Mahindra bets on digital technologies Tech Mahindra, the fifth-largest Indialisted IT services firm, will be investing and focussing on its 22 platforms, and placing big bets on automation, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. It will invest in start-ups, seek external funding for some internal units and partner with technology providers to expand its business. According to CEO C.P. Gurnani, “Tech Mahindra will go from an IT and engineering services company to become a digital technologies company.” Jagdish Mitra, head of strategy and marketing, has also said that the company is also building technologies in-house, such as platforms that it intends to scale. Last month, Tech Mahindra held its Mission Innovation Festival in Hyderabad, where it showcased platforms like Prism, a predictive analytics platform, Tactix, an artificial intelligence and machine-learning platform, and Uno, a robotics process automation platform.

China’s LeEco to set up R&D centre in India LeEco is planning to set up its R&D centre in India with a team of 1000 people. The company, formerly known as LeTV, had entered the Indian market with its launch of smartcycle and is now planning to get Le superphones. This is in conjunction with smartdevices including 3D helmet, LeMe Bluetooth headphones and other LeEco ecosystem products that include super TVs, electric cars and music services. Check efytimes.com for more news, daily WWW.EFYMAG.COM

make in india Market Survey:

Keeping An Eye On IndIa’s surveIllance Industry

I Sudeshna Das is senior executive editor at EFY

n addition to usual factors like general economic growth, increased awareness, legal requirements and affordability that drive growth in the security and surveillance industry, the increasing number of terrorist attacks and criminal activities make surveillance systems almost imperative for residential, commercial and public infrastructure and also for public transport in India. “There is a spurt in infrastructure development in the country. Security is a part of the basic infrastructure for any modern economy. Naturally, we see significant growth potential for security solutions in India.” says Ganesh Jivani, managing director, Matrix Comsec. Advantages of surveillance systems over physical security such as the ability to allow remote monitoring and continuous monitoring have resulted in their wide deployment across the country. According to a report published by 6Wresearch India, a business research organisation, video surveillance market in India is expected to reach US$ 952.94 million by 2016, with a CAGR of 32.49 per cent. It is expected to top US$ 2.4 billion by 2021.

Currently, though analogue based surveillance systems account for the majority of the share of nearly 68 per cent in the overall market, IP based surveillance systems are expected to grow with a relatively higher CAGR of 41.78 per cent in the coming years. As per a spokesperson from 6Wresearch, electronics division, “Declining prices, terrorist strikes, government initiatives, rising public infrastructure, increasing government security spending and growing awareness have fuelled the adoption of IP surveillance systems in India. Further, the surging need for video analytics and remote monitoring have also led to rising penetration of IP surveillance systems in the country.”

Market drivers “The commercial sector is estimated to have been the largest end-user sector that includes hotels, restaurants and offices. It is followed by banking and finance, retail, manufacturing and industrial and government sectors. The fast-growing end-user

Video analytics intelligently detect suspicous movements using CCTV surveillance

WWW.EFYMAG.COM

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make in india New amended PMA policy: 100 per cent preference to Made in India products for procurement of CCTV cameras (video) and sensor based alarm systems by all government departments—A brief: Preferential market access 1. The government of India has laid down a policy for preference to domesticallymanufactured electronic products in government procurement for its own use and not with a view to commercial resale or with a view to use in the production of goods for commercial sale. 2. The policy is applicable to all ministries/departments (except Ministry of Defence) and their agencies. 3. Each ministry/department would specify sector-specific electronic products. 4. Each ministry/department would specify the percentage of procurement to be made from domestically-manufactured electronic products, which shall not be less than 30 per cent of the total procurement value of that electronic product(s). 5. Each ministry/department would also specify the domestic value-addition requirement that the electronic product should satisfy for the product to qualify as a domesticallymanufactured electronic product. 6. Policy for preference to domestically-manufactured telecom products in procurement due to security considerations and in government procurement, notifying telecom products for government procurement in furtherance of the policy dated October 5, 2012. 7. The Department of Telecommunications came up with a list of 23 domestic products covered under the policy with their minimum PMA to domestically-manufactured electronic products and their minimum domestic value addition. 8. Serial number 22 states security and surveillance communication systems (video and sensor based) 9. SPGI wrote to government’s Department of Telecommunications and Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) seeking clarification as to whether CCTV camera (video) and alarm systems are part of serial number 22. 10. Government of India, Ministry of Communications and IT, Depar tment of Telecommunications (Investment Promotion Cell) clarified as per Office Memorandum No.- 18-14/2012- IP(Pt.) dated July 22, 2015, CCTV video cameras and sensor based alarming systems can form part of security and surveillance communication and should get covered under telecom equipment description listed at serial number 22 in the Gazette Notification dated October 5, 2012. 11. PMA on serial number 22 mentions 100 per cent with value addition of 35 per cent in the first year, increasing by five per cent in subsequent years. As per this amendment, domestically-manufactured CCTV cameras and alarm systems have to be provided 100 per cent preference in all government purchases.

sectors include city surveillance, traffic monitoring, railways and education,” opines Sanjeev Sehgal, chairman, Security Promotion Group of India (SPGI), and managing director, Sparsh, while discussing the growth drivers of this sector. Integrated security solutions incorporating both security products and surveillance services have been gaining importance over standalone solutions. Customers look for more business value in surveillance solutions by utilising these in varied applications beyond increasing security and loss prevention. For example, integration of business intelligence software to a video surveillance system can be utilised to capture mar88

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keting and point-of-sale data. This, in turn, can help organisations realise far more value from video surveillance systems. Also, integrated, cloud based and mobile-operated security solutions will be the major trends in the surveillance business. While discussing the applications beyond security reasons, Jivani comments, “When it comes to enterprises, usage of cameras or security and surveillance products is not only for the purpose of security but also for productivity. When video surveillance is in place at offices, shops or any other place, productivity of the workers/employees tends to increase automatically. Surveillance helps in making places organised,

Demand generating areas     

Commercial and residential Banking and financial Retail Industrial Government and transportation

be it offices, shops or streets. “The return on investment of companies increase due to surveillance as productivity goes up. For example, instead of manufacturing 100 units of a product per day, a worker starts to make 105 units; productivity goes up because of the cost that a company had incurred on surveillance.”

Tectonic shift in the market With technological advancements and changing customer needs, analogue video surveillance has been shifting to network video surveillance. The ever-reducing gap in the acquisition cost of IP and analogue segments has also been as a great trigger point for the industry. Traditionally controlled by analogue based surveillance systems, Indian market is now shifting towards digitised, that is, IP based surveillance systems. These systems are finding their space across industry verticals, namely, government and transportation, banking and financial, retail, commercial, industrial and residential. The technological roadmap will be driven by all-pervasive, online and proactive solutions. Over the next few years, the market for IP surveillance is expected to increase due to increasing IP infrastructure, declining prices and demand for remote access. From the earlier analogue CCTV technology, there has been a steady technology shift to IP based (digital), open source and fully-integrated systems, with the option of remote surveillance, background screening, video analytics, digital video and sensor based detection. The shift of market focus to IP cameras from WWW.EFYMAG.COM

analogue cameras is addressed by hybrid video recorders. The need for multi-location monitoring is increasing due to which video management software is in high demand. According to Jivani, awareness regarding higher security and other benefits provided by video surveillance solutions is increasing rapidly. He also says, “Transition from analogue cameras to IP video surveillance is happening on a large scale. Today IP cameras offer higher resolution in terms of megapixels. IP cameras with 2MP and 3MP are becoming the general norm in the industry and 5MP IP cameras are also used for special applications. “Further, these cameras also simultaneously support multiple streams with better security and networking capabilities. In addition, new IP cameras also support intelligent video analytics functions. For analogue cameras, resolution in terms of TV lines has improved from 600 TV lines to 700 TV lines and even higher.” He also indicates that there has been a significant development in the IVA technology like face recognition, people counting, missing objects and so on, which is further enhancing security. Sehgal points out that, “Apart from technology, there has been a shift on the product side too, from box to fixed-dome cameras and pantilt-zoom dome cameras. In continuous pursuance of clarity, standard (medium) resolution has replaced high-resolution cameras, and from standard-dynamic-range to wide dynamic-range cameras. “In the recording space, digital video recorders are being replaced by network video recorders and external storage. HD CCTV video surveillance equipment is the fastest-growing segment in the analogue space and the next big promising segment.” Jivani focuses on innovation in this segment. He indicates, “On the video surveillance side, the industry WWW.EFYMAG.COM

needs better compression technology. A certain amount of bandwidth is required to transfer HD videos, and this could be achieved only when we have better compression techniques. The area of innovation could be video analytics, wherein, without putting a lot of time-consuming efforts, a user can directly jump to the part of the video he or she actually wants to see. There is no strong video analytic software yet that could make this possible.”

Market constraints “Business opportunity in security and surveillance is huge, but till now it has not been an attractive investment segment because of high market fragmentation, unstructured trade and commoditisation of the industry” says Sehgal. He emphasises, “Companies and traders are selling inferior-quality products in the market, which is affecting the growth of the market and misguiding customers. The government needs to set standards for security devices that can be sold and provide guidelines for import of electronic security products in India.” Jivani supports this point as he says, “Most countries have their own standards for security products and people who install and maintain these products. It is the government’s job to create standards in order to ensure a certain level of quality in products and services. Unfortunately, our country has ignored this aspect completely so far, leaving everything to manufacturers, importers, traders and customers. This has led to India becoming a dumping ground for cheap and inferior imports. Now, it is encouraging to see government talking about important initiatives such as products and skills standardisation and certification along with skill development.” Jivani emphasises, “Most countries insist on strict homologation programmes before they allow importing products. Despite India

“When it comes to enterprises, usage of cameras or security and surveillance products is not only for the purpose of security but also for productivity. When video surveillance is in place at offices, shops or any other place, productivity of the workers/employees tends to increase automatically.” —Ganesh Jivani, managing director, Matrix Comsec

being a very large market, we have failed to establish strong standards and homologation processes. “ While discussing about implementation-related challenges, Jivani says, “When we talk about implementation in video surveillance, there are a lot of bottlenecks like technological infrastructure. IP video cameras work on WAN, LAN or others. Most of the time the bandwidth required by these cameras is not available.” “Another challenge of the video surveillance market is the lack of modes of multiple site monitoring, limitations of storage and also the cost involved in the same. Multi-site management faces the challenge of the lack of proper connectivity modes, irrationally-high wiring costs and the cost of implementing a video management software for multiple locations,” he adds. He also indicates the lack of indigenous R&D and adds, “Indian industry is dependent on external R&D and technologies. Industry and government should work together to correct this by promoting indigenous R&D.” Jivani also mentions that while India is one of the largest markets in the world, there are not many manufacturers in India. India has become a virtual dumping ground for imported products. Once again, this situation is not sustainable and needs immediate correction. Both Jivani and Sehgal further elaborate the market challenges as: Fragmented market scenario. Indian CCTV market is still majorly ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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make in india “Companies and traders are selling inferior quality products in the market, which is affecting the growth of the market and misguiding customers. Government needs to set standards for security devices that can be sold and provide guidelines for import of electronic security products in India.” —Sanjeev Sehgal, chairman, Security Promotion Group of India (SPGI), and managing director, Sparsh

unorganised with many traders flooding the market with inferior imported products. Lack of awareness. Customers need to be educated so that they can buy the right product and technology for their security needs and get the best return on their investment. Today, security products are sold as boxes without caring for the overall benefits that customers expect. Many customers mistakenly equate products with solutions. Higher customer awareness and better responsibility on part of manufacturers and their system integrators would improve customer satisfaction. Lack of uniform quality standards. Currently, there are no quality parameters defined to sell CCTV products. In the absence of any regulatory body governing the standards, a lot of misspelling is happening in the market. Inflow of counterfeit products. A strong initiative from the government’s side is required to curb spurious practices and provide quality and durable products in the market.

Moving towards Make in India India consumes so many security and surveillance products that there is a growing need to manufacture these products in India. Moreover, the new amended PMA policy on 100 per cent preference to Made in India products for procurement of CCTV cameras (video) and sensor based alarm systems by all government departments and projects like 90

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STRENGTHS • Remote and continuous monitoring systems • Advent of compact security devices • Integration of new technologies like light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology and high-quality oblique images • Versatility and customisation of products at affordable rates • Increasing IP infrastructure

WEAKNESSES • Less number of sessions/workshops by industries on the installation of the security and surveillance equipment • Industry’s reliability on small and quality PCBs and availability of multi-layered and other quality PCBs along with some discrete components is a problem • Lack of awareness about the installation of security equipment • Dearth of suppliers of quality components required for security and surveillance products

SWOT OPPORTUNITIES • Increase in the number of terrorist attacks and criminal activities • Increasing number of hi-tech public infrastructure • Growing awareness • Integrating mobile and cloud services with surveillance devices

THREATS • Low import duty • Inflow of low-cost security and surveillance products is high • Inflow of low quality products • Inferior quality products sold with incorrect information

SWOT analysis of the surveillance industry

city surveillance, public transport surveillance and police station surveillance are expected to boost domestic manufacturing further. Though in the present scenario there is clear gap between Make in India campaign and the security and surveillance industry. “The fundamental reason for this can be attributed to the lack of an ecosystem. India has a lot of demand and customers, but to manufacture such products a basic ecosystem is required, which is lacking at present. The government is trying to address this issue of the lack of an ecosystem through Make in India campaign, but its effectiveness can only be ascertained after a period of time. If the security and surveillance, and telecom and IT industries start making in India, only then the manufacturing ecosystem in the country could take off. “I believe that heavy industries like defence cannot contribute hugely to this initiative as a lot of parts will be imported or outsourced. Since it will be the assembly of products, value addition will be negligible and knowledge sharing

cannot be taken to another level. “If Make in India has to be made successful, a lot of focus should be given to telecom, IT, consumer electronics and video surveillance industries. Small industries are the key to develop the manufacturing ecosystem in India,” says Jivani. According to Sehgal, “It is very encouraging to see the government committed to domestic manufacturing. Make in India and such other initiatives will create two-dimensional growth opportunities for the security industry in India.” While discussing the effectiveness of these initiatives, he suggests: 1. The government needs to have well-defined policies for the industry pertaining to imports, quality control, tax structure and preference to Indian manufacturers. 2. The government needs to be absolutely transparent in large-size government tenders. 3. Since the major chunk of the business comes from the government sector, both state and central government departments need to allocate and spend funds to keep the industries going. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

NEW Products MAKE IN INDIA

Components UHD chip Based on DLP CinemaR technology, the DLP 4K ultra-high-definition (UHD) chipset combines fast switching speed of the digital micromirror device with advanced image processing. It is offered in a single-chip projector architecture that enables high-resolution and highbrightness solutions. The DLP 4K UHD solution uses the fast speed of the chip with advanced image processing to deliver more than eight million pixels to the screen with just four million mirrors. Texas Instruments Inc. www.ti.com

AC-DC front-end modules Vicor has announced an addition to its new family of high-density PFM AC-DC front-end modules in the rugged VIA package that offers superior cooling performance and versatility in converter mounting. Featuring a universal AC input range (85V AC 264V AC), power factor correction and a fully-isolated 24V DC or 48V DC output, and delivering 400W of isolated, regulated, DC output power at efficiencies up to 93 per cent, these new modules provide unprecedented power density of 8W/cm3 (127W/in3) and best-in-class performance in a diminutive, 9mm thin VIA package. Vicor Corp. www.vicorpower.com

Chip capacitors SMEC Electronics provides a range of SMD parts including multi-layer chip capacitors for use in consumer electronics, telecommunications, data processing, PCs and other applications. 92

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All capacitors meet or exceed EIA 535 BAAC and IECQ standards. The chip capacitors can be used for different temperature characteristics having capacitance range of 0.5pF to 100µF, voltage range from 4kV DC 5kV DC and operating temperature range from -55°C to +125°C. SMEC Electronics India Pvt Ltd www.smec-inc.com

Constant-current driver IC Key features of this product are: • Non-isolated buck topology • Active power factor correction, PF>0.9, THD85, L90/B10, 3Step Macadam. These are available in 11W, 15W, 18W and 22W. iLux Electricals Pvt Ltd [email protected]

LED lights Philips Piano LED lights are aesthetically inspired by the instrument and its elegant black-and-white colour combination makes spaces appear highly sophisticated. The skillfully-designed pieces of the collection allow users to slide independent modules giving them the freedom to personalise lights. They can adjust the light bars and create patterns based on their choice. Philips Lighting www.lighting.philips.co.in

Internet of thIngs Wireless user-authentication technology platform STMicroelectronics and ClevX, an intel-

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lectual property innovator and technology developer for portable storage and mobile device manufacturers, have announced the world’s first DataLocksecured encrypted portable storage media with Bluetooth Smart wireless user authentication. Users can interact with secure portable storage (full-disk, XTS-AES 256-bit encryption) from their smartphones or wearable devices where all data on the drive is encrypted and can be locked/ unlocked using single- or multi-factor authentication. STMicroelectronics www.st.com

Module Microchip has announced RN2483 LoRa module, which is the world’s first to pass LoRa Alliance’s LoRaWAN certification program. The module was independently tested by Espotel’s accredited test laboratory to meet the functional requirements of the latest LoRaWAN 1.0 protocol specification, for operation in 868MHz licence-free band. Microchip Technology Inc. www.microchip.com

mIsCeLLaneous Analogue timers Shavison has launched 48mm x 48mm panel-mounted timers in analogue timer series. These are available in two operating modes, namely, on delay/interval and cyclic on first or off first, whereas on delay/interval timers are available in four different supply voltage and time ranges, that is, on delay/interval (60 minutes, 230V AC), on delay/ interval (60 minutes and 230V AC/110V AC/24V AC/24V DC), on delay/interval (30 hours, 230V AC), on delay/interval (30 hours, universal supply voltage). Shavison Electronics Pvt Ltd www.shavison.com WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Do-it-yourself

N KA IDHI TH UR IA

Making arduino ShieldS Using Fritzing MADHURAM MISHRA

W

e are all familiar with Arduino shields available in the market. These allow us to increase the functions and capabilities of Arduino boards. Without these it is difficult to connect the circuit to an Arduino board. Generally, we use jumper wires for connecting an Arduino board to a circuit assembled on a breadboard. Management of cable connections and troubleshooting becomes very difficult while using jumper wires. Most people find it difficult to design an Arduino shield using conventional or professional printed circuit board (PCB) designing software since these require typical measurements of Arduino for matching connector locations. Fig. 1 shows the interfacing of a circuit assembled on a breadboard to an Arduino Board. We can easily make Arduino shields using Fritzing software. It is easy to use as compared to other software because here we do not have to provide any dimension details or alignment for proper placement of the connectors that are used to connect the shield with Arduino. Fritzing is an open source software initiative that supports designers and artists who are ready to move from physical prototyping to the actual product. It was developed at University of Applied Sciences of Potsdam, Germany. The software allows designers, artists, researchers or hobbyists to document their Arduino based prototypes and create PCB layouts for manufacturing. The associated website helps users share and discuss drafts and experiences as well as reduce manufacturing costs. Fritzing can be seen as an electronic design automation (EDA) tool

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simply making the schematic, which can be further adjusted in Arduino shield form. There are many routing options available in the software. In this article, we explain the making of an Arduino shield using Fritzing version 0.91 for Arduino UNO R3 for a single-sided PCB. Steps for making an Arduino shield using Fritzing are: 1. Download Fritzing. The downloaded file can be used directly; you need not install it. 2. Go to Breadboard as shown in Fig. 2. Draw a proper connection diagram of the desired circuit using the component library in the software. Cross-check the connections in the software. Fig. 1: Assembled circuit on a breadboard interfaced with 3. Go to Schematic and Arduino board check if the connections are done in Breadboard. We can directly design a circuit in ScheFig. 2: Fritzing Breadboard section matic. For those who are new to for non-engineers. It has a codeview option, where one can modify code and upload it directly to an Arduino device. There is a huge library in Fritzing to help us make shields for different Arduino and Raspberry Pi boards. We can get the artwork by

Fig. 3: Schematic diagram made using Fritzing ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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Do-it-yourself

Fig. 4: PCB section of the software

Fig. 5: Arduino shield single-side PCB

Fig. 6: Choose Export for PCB option after proper routing

Fig. 7: Berg strip soldering on track side of the PCB

designing of schematics, the option of Breadboard is recommended. The schematic made using Fritzing is shown in Fig. 3. 4. Go to PCB section of Fritzing as shown in Fig. 4. Select the type of PCB you need to make. Various options are available like Auto Routing and Layers Selection. 5. Select the settings for Copper Layer as per requirement. Route connections manually as per the circuit and the requirement. Fig. 5 shows

Arduino shield PCB after routing. The settings are different for double- and single-side PCBs. 6. After preparing the PCB and proper routing of the circuit, click Export for PCB as shown in Fig. 6 and save the files in PDF format in the destination folder. 7. Check the design rules by clicking Routing under PCB section. 8. If copper fill is required, it can be applied to the PCB using the relevant option under Routing options. 9. Place the berg strips/headers used for connecting the shield to Arduino UNO board on the same side for soldering on a single-side PCB. Careful soldering is required for this purpose. Since the berg strip header and routing tracks are on the same side, remove the plastic sheath from the berg strip before soldering. Place the sheath back after soldering. A long header of 25mm is recommended. Placement of the same is shown in Fig. 7. 10. Specify the type of file in which you are exporting the circuit diagram PCB artwork. If you export in PDF format, specify the folder where you want to save the exported file. A number of files will be saved in the target folder in PDF format for bottom-layer copper, top-layer copper, mask top, mask bottom, silk top, silk bottom and so on, and their respective mirror image files will be saved in another PDF file. We can easily select the desired file for a particular requirement. 11. Transfer the artwork on the PCB, which is cut to the required size. Proceed for etching and soldering of components. Component images are distributed under CC-BY-SA, which will also be the licence for any generated breadboard views.

EFY Note

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FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

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

Madhuram Mishra is a student of ME digital communication at NITTTR, Bhopal

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Do-it-yourself

N KA IDHI TH UR IA

LossLess Image CompressIon Using MATLAB LALIT G. PATIL

M

ATLAB is a powerful tool for analysing images and signals for developing applications. One of the applications of image compression with MATLAB using a graphical user interface is described in this article. Cameras are nowadays being provided with more and more megapixels to improve the quality of captured images. With improvement in image quality, size of the image file also increases. Fig. 1: Flowchart showing the compression process Due to speed limitation of the Internet, it takes more time to upload goodquality images that are of bigger sizes. A Fig. 2: Original image sample 1 user needs to

compress the image without degrading its quality. Mobile manufacturers need algorithms in their cameras that enable storing the images in reduced sizes without degrading their quality. There are two types of compression algorithms, namely, loss-less and lossy-image compression. This article proposes a technique to compress the captured image to reduce its size while maintaining its quality. A number of images were considered to check the veracity of the proposed algorithm. In this article, discrete cosine transform algorithm is used, which compresses the image with a good compression ratio. The flowchart of the process is shown in Fig. 1. The image is read through MATLAB to capture its pixels. After obtaining the compressed image, peak-signalnoise ratio (PSNR) Fig 4: Original image sample 2 and mean-square

Lossless Image Compression using MATLAB

Lossless Image Compression using MATLAB

Select Image

Image To Be Compressed

Compress Image

Compressed Image

Select Image

Image To Be Compressed

Compress Image

Compressed Image

Original Image Size in kb

Compressed Image Size in kb

Original Image Size in kb

Compressed Image Size in kb

337.506

119.868

371.587

96.9473

Fig. 3: MATLAB implementation of image sample 1 WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Fig. 5: MATLAB implementation of image sample 2

EFY Note The complete MATLAB code of this project, input images and figures are included in this month’s EFY DVD and are also available for free download at source.efymag.com

error (MSE) are calculated using the following relationships: MSE =

ΣM,N(Image1(m,n) – Image2(m,n))2 mxn

where m and n are the number of rows and columns. Image1 and Image2 are the original and compressed images, respectively. After compression, there should not be much change in the quality of the image. MSE indicates an error between the original image and compressed image. It should be as small as possible. PSNR = 10 log10

( ) R2

MSE

where R is the maximum fluctuation in the input image data type (maximum possible pixel value of image). PSNR is related to MSE and it gives the amount of noise in a compressed image. PSNR should be as high as possible. All equations are implemented in MATLAB in the form of functions. Some images and their associated MATLAB graphical interfaces are shown in Figs 2 to 5. Lalit G. Patil is a lecturer in Department of Electrical Engineering, M.S. University of Baroda, Gujarat. His areas of research include signal processing, image processing and control systems

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

97

Do-it-yourself P DEE SAN KASH PRA

RGB Colour GENERATOR PAMARTHI KANAKARAJA

P

resented here is a red, green and blue (RGB) colour generator using AT89C2051 microcontroller (MCU). This is a

simple and low-cost circuit for a multiple colour generator that can be built easily with a few additional components. The main objective of the project is to generate multiple colours from RGB primary colours as used in television displays, computer monitors and other colour displays for commercial applications like LED projectors. The concept of primary colour mixing is shown in Fig. 1. Additive mixing of red and green lights produces shades of yellow, orange or brown. Mixing green and blue produces shades of cyan, whereas mixing red and blue produces shades of purple including magenta. Mixing nominally equal

Fig. 1: Concept of primary colour mixing

TP1

IC1 7805

1

3

C1 10u,16V

LED1

2

BATT.1 9V

R1 330E

TP0

proportions of the three primaries results in shades of grey or white; colour space that is generated is called an RGB colour space.

Circuit and working The circuit diagram for the multiple colour generator is shown in Fig. 2. The circuit requires a 9V battery, 7805 voltage regulator (IC1), Atmel AT89C2051 MCU (IC2) and a few other components. The 20-pin MCU performs the operation of multiple colour generation from RGB primary colours on pressing switches S1 through S4. In this project, we have used the concept of pulse width modulation (PWM) to change the colours of the RGB LED. Initially, the circuit is powered by a +9V supply, which is connected to IC1 to maintain a constant +5V at its output. This constant output is fed to the MCU circuit. Port3 of

R2 8.2K

Test Points Test point

R3 100E 1 2

RGB1

P3.1 (TXD)

P1.6

18

6

P3.2 (INT0)

P1.5

17

7

P3.3 (INT1)

P1.4

16

P1.3

15

S4

P1.2

14

S3

P3.7

P1.1

13

S2

XTAL2

P1.0

12

S1

11 4 5

P3.0 (RXD)

P3.4

IC2

AT89C2051

P3.5

XTAL1

GND

XTAL1 11.0592MHz

GND

Fig. 2: Circuit of the RGB colour generator

98

20 19

9

C2 33p

Vcc P1.7

3

8

C3 33p

RST

FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

C4 0.1u

R4 R5 R6 R7

R4− R7 = 1K

TP0

0V GND

TP1

+5V

PARTS LIST

S1 = YELLOW S2 = MAGENTA S3 = CYAN S4 = MULTIPLE

10

Details

Semiconductors: IC1 - 7805, 5V voltage regulator IC2 - AT89C2051 MCU with a proper base LED1 - 5mm LED - 5mm RGB LED RGB1 Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): R1 - 330-ohm R2 - 8.2-kilo-ohm R3 - 100-ohm R4-R7 - 1-kilo-ohm Capacitors: C1 - 10µF, 16V electrolytic C2, C3 - 33pF ceramic C4 - 0.1µF ceramic Miscellaneous: S1-S4 - Tactile switch XTAL1 - 11.0592MHz crystal oscillator CON1 - 2-pin connector terminal - 9V battery

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Fig. 3: Actual-size PCB pattern of the RGB colour generator

is followed by green and blue colours switching on and off in a similar manner and for the same time periods. Now, when we press switch S1, we get yellow colour (red+green), and if we press switch S2, we get magenta (red+blue). If we press switch S3, we get cyan (blue+green), and if we press switch S4, we get multiple colours with the help of PWM technique.

Software The software is written in embedded C language and compiled using Keilµvision 4 version compiler. It contains simple switch statements to produce different colours from primary colours. We have used Topwin 6 software to burn the hex code into the MCU using a Universal Topwin programmer board. Fig. 4: Component layout of the PCB

IC2 is used to drive common-anode RGB LED, with P3.0 connected to red pin, P3.1 to green pin and P3.2 to blue pin of the RGB LED. Port1 is connected to the four tactile switches S1 through S4 for producing multiple colours. When the circuit is switched on, red colour of the RGB LED glows for a preprogrammed time interval of three seconds. It then switches off for three seconds. This

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. WWW.EFYMAG.COM efymag.com

Construction and testing An actual-size, single-side PCB of the circuit is shown in Fig. 3 and its component layout in Fig. 4. Assemble the circuit on the PCB as it minimises time and assembly errors. Carefully assemble the components and double-check for any error(s). Use a proper IC base for the MCU. CON1 is a 2-pin connector used to connect a 9V battery. For troubleshooting, verify the voltages listed in the test points table. Pamarthi Kanakaraja is associate professor (R&D cell) at Usha Rama College of Engineering and Technology, Telaprolu, Andhra Pradesh. He has been working in the field of embedded designing and programming concepts for the last six years

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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Do-it-yourself

S.C. EDI DWIV

infrared Motion-SenSing Relay Switch T.K. HAREENDRAN

T

his circuit is designed for use with all kinds of mediumpower automobile/domestic 12V DC loads. It is a simple solidstate relay (SSR) switch, controlled by a standard passive infrared (PIR) motion sensor module. A PIR sensor is an electronic device that can measure IR light radiating from objects in its field-of-view. Apparent motion is detected when an IR source with one tem-

perature (such as a human being) passes in front of an IR source with another temperature (such as a wall). The PIR sensor module, centred on a PIR sensor, has elements made of crystalline material that generates an electric charge when exposed to IR radiation. Changes in the amount of IR striking the element change the voltages generated, which are measured by an onboard circuitry.

Fig. 1: PIR motion sensor module and its dome shaped cover (inset)

CON1 FOR 5V

S

R3 10K

D1 1N4007

G D

D Vcc OUT GND CON2 FOR PIR SENSOR

T1 BS170

R4 1K

G R1 1K C1 100u 25V

R2 10K

LED1

Fig. 2: PIR motion Sensing SSR Switch FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

CON3 FOR 12V IN CON4 FOR 12V OUT

S

GND

100

T2 IRF9540

The module contains a special filter called Fresnel lens, which focuses IR signals onto the sensor element. As ambient IR signals change rapidly, onboard circuitry triggers the output to indicate motion. Fig. 1 shows the PIR motion sensor module. It is usually hidden behind a translucent dome shaped cover as shown in the inset in Fig. 1.

Circuit and working

Circuit diagram of the PIR motionsensing SSR switch is shown in Fig. 2. It is built around a PIR motionsensor module (connected across CON2), MOSFETs BS170 (T1) and IRF9540 (T2), rectifier diode 1N4007 (D1) and a few other components. The PIR sensor module has a 3-pin connection for Vcc, output and ground, and provides a single output that goes high when motion is detected. It also has a 2-pin jumper selection for single or continuous trigger output mode. The two positions are labelled H and L (Fig. 1). When the jumper is at H position, output goes high whenever the sensor is triggered and retriggered. In position L, PARTS LIST output goes high and low like Semiconductors: a monostable D1 - 1N4007 rectifier diode T1 - BS170 n-channel MOSFET timer every time - IRF9540 p-channel MOSFET T2 the sensor is trigLED1 - 5mm LED gered. RetriggerResistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): R1, R4 - 1-kilo-ohm ing pulse does R2, R3 - 10-kilo-ohm not affect the Capacitor: output duration. C1 - 100µF, 25V electrolytic The circuit Miscellaneous: CON1, CON3, presented here CON4 - 2-pin connector terminal is in repeatable CON2 - 3-pin connector trigger mode - PIR motion sensor and turns T2 WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Fig. 3: Actual-size PCB pattern of the PIR motionsensing SSR switch

When motion is detected, PIR sensor output goes high to about 3.3V. The high-level, standard TTL output from the sensor-module switches on MOSFET T2 through T1, and T2 is closed by this action. As a result, the connected DC load is powered through T2 for a finite duration, determined by the time-delay setting of the PIR sensor module. Usually, the PIR sensor module includes an onboard time control preset pot (Fig. 1), which is adjustable from seconds to minutes. LED1 is the power-on indicator.

Construction and testing Fig. 4: Component layout of PCB

on when sensor output goes high. Output of the PIR sensor module is connected to the base of T1 (BS170) via resistor R1.

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An actual-size, single-side PCB for the PIR motion-sensing SSR switch is shown in Fig. 3 and its component layout in Fig. 4. Enclose the PCB in a small box so that you can connect 12V IN and 12V OUT easily at the rear side of

the box. Install the PIR sensor at a suitable place and connect it to the PCB using a three-wire cable. EFY notes. 1. During initial power-up, the circuit automatically switches to active mode for a while and then shifts back to sleep mode. 2. p-channel power MOSFET IRF 9540 (in TO-220 package) is preferred universally for all commercial/industrial applications at power dissipation levels up to approximately 50 watts. 3. According to the data sheet, the PIR sensor requires an initial stabilisation time of 10 to 60 seconds in order to function properly. During this time, any motion in its fieldof-view (approx. 6 metres) should be avoided. T.K. Hareendran is an electronics hobbyist, freelance technical writer and circuit designer

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

101

Do-it-yourself . S.C DI IVE W D

PIN Diode Based Fire SenSor D. MOHAN KUMAR

H

ere is an ultra-sensitive fire sensor that activates an alarm when it detects fire. Thermistor based fire alarms have a drawback; the alarm turns on only if the fire heats the thermistor in close vicinity. In this circuit, a sensitive PIN diode is used as a fire sensor for a longer-range fire detection. It detects visible light and infrared (IR) in the range of 430nm - 1100nm. So visible light and IR from the fire can easily activate the sensor to trigger the alarm. It also detects sparks in the mains wiring and, if these persist, it gives a warning alarm. It is an ideal protective device for showrooms, lockers, record rooms and so on. Author’s prototype is shown in Fig. 1. PIN diode BPW34 (Fig. 2) is used in the circuit as light and IR sensor. BPW34 is a 2-pin photodiode with anode (A) and cathode (K). The anode end can easily be identified from the top-view flat surface of the photodiode. A small solder point to which a thin wire is connected is the anode and the other one is the cathode terminal. BPW34 is a tiny PIN photodiode or mini solar cell with radiant sensitive surface that generates 350mV DC open-circuit voltage when exposed to 900nm light. It is sensitive to natural sunlight and also to light from fire. So it is ideal for use as a light sensor. BPW34 photodiode can be used in zero-bias as well as reverse-bias states. Its resistance decreases when light falls on it.

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FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

Fig. 1: Author’s prototype

Circuit and working Circuit diagram of the PIN diode based fire sensor is shown in Fig. 3. It is built around 9V battery, PIN diode BPW34 (D1), op-amp CA3140 (IC1), counter CD4060 (IC2), transistors BC547 (T1 and T2), a piezo buzzer (PZ1) and a few other components. In the circuit, PIN photodiode BPW34 is connected to the inverting and non-inverting inputs of op-amp IC1 in reverse-biased mode to feed photo current into the input of op-amp. CA3140 is a 4.5MHz BiMOs op-amp with MOSFET inputs and bipolar output. Gate-protected MOSFET (PMOS) transistors in the input circuit provide very high input impedance, typically around 1.5T ohms. The IC requires very low input current, as low as 10pA, to change output status to high or low. In the circuit, IC1 is used as a transimpedance amplifier to act as a current-to-voltage converter. IC1 amplifies and converts the photo current generated in the PIN diode to the corresponding voltage in its output. The non-inverting input is

PARTS LIST Semiconductors: IC1 - CA3140 op-amp - CD4060 counter IC2 T1, T2 - BC547 npn transistor LED1-LED3 - 5mm LED D1 - BPW34 PIN photodiode Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): R1, R5, R6 - 1-mega-ohm R2, R3 - 1-kilo-ohm R4, R7, R8 - 100-ohm Capacitor: C1 - 0.22µF ceramic disk Miscellaneous: - 9V battery BATT.1 PZ1 - Piezo buzzer

Fig. 2: BPW34 PIN photodiode

connected to the ground and anode of photodiode, while the inverting input gets photo current from the PIN diode. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

R3 1K

R5 1M

7 2

8 IC1 CA3140

4

1

16

V DD

12

RESET

LED1

R1 1M

D1 BPW34 3

Q4

6

R2 1K

5

T1 BC547

11

01

9

00

C1 0.22u 10

R6 1M

D1 = BPW34 PIN PHOTODIODE

8

IC2 CD4060

7

Q5

5

Q6

4

Q7

6

Q8

14

Q9

13

Q10

15

Q12

1

Q13

2

Q14

3

R8 100E PZ1 PIEZO BUZZER

LED3

BATT.1 9V DC R7 100E

_

00 Vss

R4 100E

T2 BC547

LED2

GND

Fig. 3: Circuit diagram of the PIN diode based fire sensor

Fig. 4: PCB layout of the PIN diode fire alarm

Fig. 5: Component layout of the PCB

Large-value feedback resistor R1 sets the gain of the transimpedance amplifier since it is in inverting configuration. Connection of non-inverting input to ground provides low impedance load for the photodiode, WWW.EFYMAG.COM

which keeps the photodiode voltage low. The photodiode operates in the photovoltaic mode with no external bias. Feedback of the op-amp keeps the photodiode current equal to the feedback current through R1. So the input offset voltage due to the photodiode is very low in this self-biased photovoltaic mode. This permits a large gain without any large-output offset voltage. This configuration is selected to get large gain in low-light conditions. Normally, in ambient light condition, photocurrent from the PIN diode is very low; it keeps output of IC1 low. When the PIN diode detects visible light or IR from fire, its photo current increases and transimpedance amplifier IC1 converts this current to corresponding output voltage. High output from IC1 activates transistor T1 and LED1 glows. This indicates that the circuit has detected fire. When T1 conducts, it takes reset pin

12 of IC2 to ground potential and CD4060 starts oscillating. IC2 is a binary counter with ten outputs that turn high one by one when it oscillates due to C1 and R6. Oscillation of IC2 is indicated by the blinking of LED2. When output Q6 (pin 4) of IC2 turns high after 15 seconds, T2 conducts and activates piezo buzzer PZ1, and LED3 also glows. The alarm repeats again after 15 seconds if

fire persists. You can also turn on an AC alarm that produces a loud sound by replacing PZ1 with a relay circuitry (not shown here). The AC alarm is activated through contacts of the relay used for this purpose.

Construction and testing An actual-size, single-side PCB for the PIN diode based fire sensor is shown in Fig. 4 and its component layout in Fig. 5. Enclose the PCB in a small box in such a way that you can connect PIN diode BPW34 easily at the rear side of the box. Install the PIN diode in a suitable place and cover it such that normal light/ sunlight does not fall on it. Testing the circuit is simple. Normally, when there is no fire flame near the PIN diode, the piezo buzzer does not sound. When a fire flame is sensed by the PIN diode, piezo buzzer sounds an alarm. Its detection range is around two metres. It can also detect sparks in the mains wiring due to short-circuit.

D. Mohan Kumar was associate professor at Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

103

Do-it-yourself

Fridge temperature and humidity Indicator

W

PARTS LIST

Circuit and working

Semiconductors: IC1, IC2 - ATmega328P MCU with Arduino Uno bootloader IC3 - 7805 voltage regulator TX1 - 433MHz RF transmitter module RX1 - 433MHz RF receiver module ZD1 - 5V zener diode ZD2 - 3.3V zener diode Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): R1, R2, R5 - 10-kilo-ohm - 330-ohm R3 R4 - 100-ohm - 10-kilo-ohm preset VR1 Capacitors: C1, C2, C9, C10 - 22pF ceramic disk C3, C4 - 100μF, 25V electrolytic - 100nF ceramic disk C5, C6, C11 C7 - 10μF, 16V electrolytic - 470μF, 25V electrolytic C8 Miscellaneous: BATT.1, BATT.2 - 9V battery ANT1, ANT2 - Spiral antenna XTAL1, XTAL2 - 16MHz crystal oscillator LCD1 - 16×2 character module display S1, S2 - Tactile switch SENSOR1 - AM2302 digital temperature and humidity sensor CON1 - 4-pin connector for sensor

Circuit diagram of the transmitter unit is shown in Fig. 2. It is built around ATmega328P microcontroller (MCU) (IC1) with Arduino Uno bootloader, AM2302 digital temperature and humidity sensor connected as SENSOR1 to CON1, 433MHz transmitter (TX1), 5V zener ZD1, 3.3V zener ZD2 and a few other components. Low power consumption of the transmitter is the essence for long operating hours of the gadget. For that, the conventional regulator is replaced by 5V and 3.3V zener diodes, with 330-ohm resistor R3 and 100-ohm resistor R4 in series to reduce current consumption. Circuit diagram of the receiver unit is shown in Fig. 3. It is built around another ATmega328P MCU (IC2) with Arduino Uno bootloader, voltage regulator 7805 (IC3), 16x2 TP1 R4 TP2 R3 LCD character 330E 100E BATT1 module display 9V (LCD1), 433MHz CON1 FOR ZD1 C3 C4 ZD2 AM2302 receiver (RX1) 5V 100u 100u 3.3V SENSOR1 25V 25V and a few other components. The 20 receiver checks 7 Vcc AVcc 21 1 ANT1 the code word AVREF PC6/RESET 28 2 R2 10K PD0/RXD PC5/SCL sent by the trans27 3 S1 PD1/TXD PC4/SDA TX1 mitter unit and 26 4 PD2 PC3 25 IC1 5 C5 100n displays temperaRF TX PC2 PD3 ATMEGA328P 24 PC1 XTAL1 6 PD4 ture and humidity 23 16MHz 9 PB6/XTAL1 PC0 4 3 2 1 on the LCD. 19 10 PB5/SCK PB7/XTAL2 18 If the trans11 PD5 PB4/MISO C1 C2 17 12 mitter stalls or PD6 PB3/MOSI 22p 22p 16 13 PB2 PD7 its power supply 15 14 PB1 PB0 gets interrupted, 22 8 GND AGND there is no way for the receiver to know whether the incoming Fig. 2: Circuit diagram of the transmitter unit ANT Vcc DATA GND

R1

10K

GND

e can measure temperature and humidity inside the fridge using a normal temperature-humidity indicator but relative humidity (RH) could be inaccurate in that case. The moment the fridge door is opened, RH will shoot up due to ingress or egress of moisture in the surroundings. The small sniffer device, described in this article, picks up temperature and humidity from inside the fridge and transmits on an RF link to a nearby receiver unit. The receiver unit checks the received code, identifies the right sniffer device and displays live temperature and humidity. Author’s prototype is shown in Fig. 1.

SOMNATH BERA

DATA VCC

AJIT BISW DAS

Fig. 1: Author’s prototype

104

FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

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EFY Note

2

2

3

D2

14 13 12 11 10 9

D3

4

C11

100n

5

D1

6

8

D4

3

D0

9 7

D5

2

S2

10

EN R/W

XTAL2 16MHz

6

D6

1

11 12

RS

A/VEE

K

13 14

15

16

C10 22p

C9 22p

Fig. 3: Circuit diagram of the receiver unit

Fig. 4: Actual-size PCB pattern of the transmitter unit

Fig. 5: Component layout of the PCB shown in Fig. 4

signal is valid. To circumvent this problem, a counter has been provided on the left side of the LCD WWW.EFYMAG.COM

5 6 7 8

1 2 3 4

R5 10K 7

5

D7

VDD

VO

Vss

LCD1 16 X 2

RF RX

ANT2

C7 10u 16V

4

1

C8 470u 25V

GND Vcc

BATT2 9V

3

ANT GND

IC3 7805

1

VR1 10K

Vcc DATA DATA GND

RX1

TP3

AVcc

Vcc PC6/RESET

AVREF

PD0/RXD

PC5/SCL

PD1/TXD

PC4/SDA

PD2 PD3 PD4

PC3

IC2 ATMEGA328P

PB6/XTAL1 PB7/XTAL2

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

PC2 PC1 PC0

PB5/SCK

PD5

PB4/MISO

PD6

PB3/MOSI

20 21 28 27 26 25 24 23 19 18 17

C6 100n

Software The software includes Adafruit library for DHT sensors, virtual wire library for communicating with 433MHz RF sensors and liquid crystal library for the LCD display. All libraries are included in the software bundle in this month’s DVD.

Construction and testing

16

An actual-size, single-side PCB of the transmitter unit is shown in Fig. 4 and its component layout in Fig. 5. An actual-size, single-side PCB of the receiver unit is shown in Fig. 6 and its component layout in Fig. 7. Connect the battery of the transmitter and then place the transmitter at a suitable location inside the fridge. Close the fridge Fig. 6: Actual-size PCB pattern of the receiver unit door and power on the receiver unit. Temperature and RH will be shown on the LCD. Move the receiver unit to the farthest corner of the house and, in most likelihood, you will still be able to see the temperature and Fig. 7: Component layout of the PCB shown in Fig. 6 RH ticking. display. If the counter does not move, or stops, it means that Somnath Bera is an avid user of open source software. the incoming signal has stalled. Professionally, he is a thermal Reset the system by pressing power expert and works as additional general manager switch S2 momentarily to come at NTPC Ltd back to normal operation.

8

PD7 PB0

GND

PB2 PB1

AGND

15 22

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105

Do-it-yourself A TIM PRA ARI M KU

High-Impedance Audio Buffer With Jfet PETRE TZV PETROV

T

HP1,HP2=HEADPHONE

he buffer circuit described here can be used to enS1 R9 C6 R8 CON2 ON/OFF C4 R5 hance the AC input impedC3 10M 10K 10u FOR 220u 33n 5.6K 25V ance of audio amplifiers that are 25V 9V GND BATT.1 D LED1 used with pickups in musical CON1 POWER instruments. AUDIO IN G Some signal sources for preT1 JACK1 R1 C2 R6 HP1 PN4393 10K 0.1u amplifiers, passive pickups for 560E S electric guitars or sensors based C5 on capacitors require very highSJ1 47u CON3 25V DC BIAS impedance of over 5-mega-ohm. R7 This can be achieved easily with HP2 560E VR1 R2 junction field effect transistor R3 R4 C1 10K 10M 3.9K 50p 3.9K (JFET) but may require special CON4 design of the printed circuit board (PCB), appropriate construction techniques of the box, Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of the high-impedance audio buffer with JFET proper cables and connectors. pend mainly on R2 and will be around This circuit provides a solution PARTS LIST for a high-impedance, low-cost, low- 10-mega-ohm. Semiconductors: Value of R2 can be increased quiescent current, buffer-follower T1 - PN4393, n-channel JFET LED1 - 5mm LED but it may be difficult to maintain based on PN4393 JFET. Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): the high input resistance during the R1, R9 - 10-kilo-ohm Circuit and working practical usage of the circuit. ResisR2, R8 - 10-mega-ohm - 3.9-kilo-ohm R3, R4 tor R1 and capacitor C1 are used for The circuit of the high-impedance R5 - 5.6-kilo-ohm protection and filtering functions for audio buffer with JFET is shown in R6, R7 - 560-ohm VR1 - 10-kilo-ohm potmeter the input of the buffer, respectively. Fig. 1. It has almost unity gain and Capacitors: C1 can be omitted but not R1. Values relatively-low-output impedance. - 50pF ceramic C1 of R1 and C1 can be changed as per The buffer can be used with any apC2 - 0.1µF ceramic C3 - 33nF ceramic requirement. Capacitor C2 is used to propriate JFET including J201, J202, C4 - 220µF, 25V electrolytic remove DC input components. J113, PN4391, PN4392, PN4393, C5 - 47µF, 25V electrolytic Resistors R8 and R9 between gate 2N5457, 2N5458, 2N3819, BF245B, - 10µF, 25V electrolytic C6 G and drain D of transistor T1 are not Miscellaneous: MPF102 or similar. Although there S1 - On/off switch always needed. So resistor R8 is not are some differences between BATT.1 - 9V, 6F22 or PP3 battery necessarily equal to R2. Also, R8 will these JFETs, all of these can do the CON1 - Audio jack connector CON2-CON4 - 2-pin connector reduce the input impedance. Use of job depending on the input sigSJ1 - Shorting jumper high-value resistors R2 and R8 may nal range. However, care must be HP1, HP2 - Headphone increase input noise, so care must be taken because some JFETs are not taken while selecting their values. pin-to-pin compatible. Resistors R3 and R4 provide DC Resistor R9 and capacitor C6 are Audio input is applied to connecbias for the JFET. Resistor R4 is for filtering noise from the power tor CON1. Input impedance depends connected to transistor T1 through source. These can be omitted if the mainly on the values of resistors R2 shorting jumper SJ1. Range of R3 and R8 and is around 5-mega-ohm. If power source is clean. But filtering is from 1-kilo-ohm to 10-kilo-ohm. capacitors C3 and C4 should not resistors R8 and R9 and capacitor C6 Lower values will provide lower outbe omitted. are omitted, input resistance will deput impedance but will increase the 106

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Fig. 2: Actual-size PCB layout for the high-impedance audio buffer with JFET

Fig. 3: Component layout of the PCB

power consumption. Bias depends on the input signal, parameters of the JFET and power supply. JFETs have wide tolerances, which is the main issue during their application. Fortunately, this is not a problem here. If a single circuit is required, choose an appropriate value for R3 depending on the JFET. In that case, SJ1 and R4 can be omitted. If some other JFET devices are required, connect R4 to source S of the JFET through SJ1 without changing the value of R3 to adjust the circuit to the parameters of the JFET. This buffer has two outputs available at connectors CON3 and CON4. The outputs can drive loads of 10-kilo-ohm or more, simultaneously. Higher impedance loads are preferred. The loads can be reduced to 2-kiloohm without overloading the circuit, but amplitude of the signal will drop. Usually, that is not a problem. The circuit can drive two high-impedance 2-kilo-ohm headphones (HP1 and HP2) connected to CON3 or CON4 (a total load of 4-kilo-ohm). Signal level on output CON3 is not adjustable but signal level on WWW.EFYMAG.COM

CON4 is, using potmeter VR1. Choice of power supply depends on the peak-to-peak amplitude from the signal source. One or two 9V batteries of type 6F22 can be used. These provide 9V or 18V of power supply voltage, covering practically all passive pickups for the musical instruments and other highimpedance sensors. Some JFETs allow higher power supply. A well-filtered DC wall adaptor can also be used.

Construction and testing An actual-size, single-side PCB for the high-impedance audio buffer with JFET is shown in Fig. 2 and its component layout in Fig. 3. This circuit may require appropriate selection of values of resistors R3 and R4 in order to optimise the peak-to-peak amplitude of the output signal. It is appropriate for battery operation, which is important for portable applications. The circuit can be mounted in a small box near the pickup or attached to the strap of the string instrument. Due to its high input impedance, input cable should be shorter than one metre and shielded or, at least, twisted. The gain is lower than unity but that is not a problem because most pickups provide strong signals.

Petre Tzv Petrov was a researcher and assistant professor in Technical University of Sofia (Bulgaria) and expert-lecturer in OFPPT (Casablanca), Kingdom of Morocco. Now he is working as an electronics engineer in the private sector in Bulgaria

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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Do-it-yourself . S.C DI IVE DW

Plus-minus 5V suPPly From 9V Battery A. SAMIUDDHIN

O

p-amps require dualpolarity supply for proper operation. When working with battery supply, it becomes

TP1

3

IC1 78L05

1

2

TP2 C2 2.2u 16V 1

BATT.1 9V C1 470u 25V

difficult to get dual power supply for the op-amps. Presented here is a simple circuit that provides ±5V from a 9V battery.

2

C3 10u 16V

3 4

V+ 8

NC

IC2 OSC ICL7660

CAP+

7

LV 6

GND

Vout 5

CAP−

TP0

C4 10u 16V

+5V GND −5V CON1 FOR OUTPUT TP3

GND

Circuit and working The circuit diagram for the ±5V supply from a 9V battery is shown in Fig. 1. It is built around 9V battery (BATT.1), voltage regulator IC 78L05 (IC1), CMOS voltage converter ICL7660 (IC2) and a few other components. Voltage regulator IC1 converts 9V battery input into regulated 5V. This 5V output from IC1 is given to pin 8 of IC2. IC2 and capacitors C3 and C4 form the voltage inverter section that converts +5V to -5V. Converted -5V supply is available at pin 5 of IC2. Converted ±5V supply is thus available at connector CON1.

Construction and testing

Fig. 1: Circuit diagram of ±5V supply from 9V battery

Test Points Test point

Details

TP0

0V (GND)

TP1

9V

TP2

+5V

TP3

-5V

Fig. 2: Actual-size PCB layout of ±5V supply from 9V battery

PARTS LIST Semiconductors: IC1 - 78L05 voltage regulator IC2 - ICL7660 voltage converter Capacitors: C1 C2 C3, C4

- 470µF, 25V electrolytic - 2.2µF, 16V electrolytic - 10µF, 16V electrolytic

Miscellaneous: CON1 BATT.1

- 3-pin connector terminal - 9V battery

An actual-size, single-side PCB for±5V supply from 9V battery is shown in Fig. 2 and its component layout in Fig. 3. Assemble the circuit on the PCB and enclose it in a waterproof box. Battery BATT.1 should be enclosed in the box. Fix CON1 on the front or rear side of the cabinet, so that you can use the ±5V easily. Before using the circuit, verify the test points given in the table to ensure proper working of the circuit.

A. Samiuddhin is B.Tech in electrical and electronics engineering. He has been an electronics hobbyist since ninth standard

Fig. 3: Component layout of the PCB

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Price ` 49,000

FIRST Look ESTYLE

Compiled by nEhA chAudhAry

Zebronics unveils tower speakers With acoustics dispersion using ZEB-spatial disperser technology

Digital printer from 3idea Big things come in small packages XYZprinting’s new 3D printer, da Vinci Jr., is a simple and easy-to-use 3D printer that requires no calibration and also a new auto-loading filament system for an easy, more convenient, 3D printing experience. It features a fluid, press-and-release extruder, which makes for an easy extruder replacement or cleaning experience. Simply open up the 3D printer, press Release button and the replacement or cleaning process can be done within a few seconds. It has a robust build size of 15cm x 15cm x 15cm (5.9 x 5.9 x 5.9-inch). Due to its new compact design, da Vinci Jr. consumes only 75 watts of power. Its PLA filaments are made up of non-toxic, biodegradable plastic that is recyclable and safe for the environment. This eco-friendly 3D printer makes sure that nothing goes to waste.

Intex introduces new range of washing machines

The latest tower speakers from Zebronics, Tyson, come with a combination of front-loaded down-firing transmission Price line and spatial disperser technolo` 4500 gies. At 68cm, it breathes life into every movie—whether you are watching a gritty indie thriller or a lush period romance, the deep, clear bass adds a kick to your flicks. It also reproduces music with robust, enveloping sound, no matter what you listen to or how loud you play it. The product comes equipped with Bluetooth technology and keeps the user entertained with music and control playback feature wirelessly. Added to this, it has a built-in FM and is compatible to most gadgets with USB or SD/MMC card. The speaker comes with a full-function remote control, which enables the user to switch songs and radio stations with ease by just pressing the keys on the remote.

Washing machines for all Intex Technologies has announced the launch of its powerful and trendy washing machines, WMS76FT and WMS76ST. The semi-automatic models come with SaltWater Technology. The powerful technology helps Price ` 10,750 balancing the spinning (for WMS76FT) basket, thereby significantly reducing the noise produced by washing machines due to frequent usage. The machines come with a saltwater pack injected into the spinning basket. Capacity of both machines is 7.6kg with additional features like Smart Power Saving, Unique Impeller Design, Fastest Woolen Spinning, Smooth Operating Safety Cover, Cover Safety Switch, Wheel Castor, Water Balance SD Basket, Collar Scrubber, Rust Free and Shock Free. 110

FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

Power bank from STK Accessories A rugged battery bank for travellers The Neptune Power Bank is rugged and tough, and you can carry it around wherever you go. It offers maximum value to users with its protective, polymer coating, making it the perfect gizmo for travellers. It is waterproof (IP67), shock-resistant and dustproof. Extreme hikers seldom have network reception in isolated terrains, and this is where this portable power bank comes in handy owing to its amazing in-built features like SOS beacon. Other features that make this device travel worthy are an infrared pointer and a torch at the top of the device. Both can be useful in all SOS situations. The smart-enabled, rugged portable power bank is powered by a 5200mAh battery and can charge a phone twice with a USB output of 5.0V 1.0A.

Price ` 3999

WWW.EFYMAG.COM

Price ` 9999 (on pre-order)

GizMo ByTes ZenFone Max smartphone from ASUS See the world with ultimate energy ZenFone Max’s sleek frame secretes a monster battery—a non-removable 5000mAh cell custom-crafted from lithium-polymer to pack maximum energy into minimum space. It also turns into a power bank, allowing you to draw on its incredibly longlasting battery to charge other devices. The battery boasts of 914 hours of standby time and 37.63 hours of talktime. The smartphone features Android 5.0 (Lollipop) operating system, Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 CPU, Adreno 306/405 GPU, 2GB LPDDR3 RAM, 16GB eMMC flash (5GB free lifetime ASUS WebStorage) and expandable up to 64GB, 5MP front camera and 13MP rear camera, among other features.

Earbud from Zoook World’s smallest Bluetooth earbuds From incredible acoustic detail and clarity to breathtaking audio experience, BULLET earbud is the new standard for true wireless stereo-like audio. BULLET capsule houses and charges the earbud when not in use. Simply place the earbud in the capsule to charge automatically, so it is ready to go when you are. The robust, minimal capsule is machined from a single block of aluminium and is designed to fit as easily into your lifestyle as your pocket. The earbud is built with dedicated amps-driving high-precision-balanced armature speakers. The result is an incredibly detailed sound, excellent mid and high tones with a tight bass response, all delivered with minimal distortion. This combined with the most advanced wireless and battery technologies available and a noise isolating design makes BULLET unique in wireless audio.

Price ` 1999

(on www. gadgets360.com)

Price ` 11,990

Helpchat app now features Pollution Meter feature Bengaluru based personal assistant app Helpchat has launched Pollution Meter feature, that lets users track the air quality in their surroundings. The feature indexes air quality into six colour-coded categories ranging from Good to Severe. The app also sends an alert to the user if the air quality drops below a certain point.

Chat app for parents and teachers Bengaluru based Chander Prakash Garg has developed Educhat, a chat app designed especially for parents and teachers. The platform makes a separate closed chat group of each school, through which teachers can communicate, clear doubts and make last-minute announcements. Currently, the app has 4000 schools, including Delhi Public School, Don Bosco and St Xavier’s, and 2.5 million parents on board.

Government launches app for filing complaints

Humidifier from USHA For clean health USHA’s humidifier HU 3403 offers eight adjustable humidity levels with eight different musical melodies, demineralisation cartridge to soften hard water, memory function, wireless remote function, three detachable nozzles, maximum humidity level of 400m/h-500 m/h and one LED light for power, humidity mode and warning indication. It provides a wattage of 35 watts and comes with a one year warranty.

The new mobile app launched by Public Grievances and Pensions Ministry is meant for Centralised Public Grievances Redress & Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal of Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). It will not only permit filing of grievances, but also allow people to track the status of the redress of their grievances.

Tata Sky makes Everywhere TV free for all Tata Sky has decided to make its service Everywhere TV accessible for free to all its subscribers. In 2013, the DTH operator had announced this service on Tata Sky mobile app—a feature that lets users stream 80+ live channels. They charged customers with ` 60 per month fee to access the service. Tata Sky mobile app is available on several platforms including Android, iOS, Windows and Mac OS X. With Everywhere TV, users could not only watch live TV channels, but also have access to Videos on Demand and catch up TV videos.

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

ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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Buyers’ GUIDE ESTYLE

Buying a 127cm flat-panel tV

P Belal Khan is a senior correspondent at EFY. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication

lanning to buy a 127cm (50-inch) flat-panel TV? Look no further. In this article we explain some important things a consumer needs to look for while choosing such a high-end device. The wide-display TV market is growing at a significant pace with the arrival of new and better technologies like LED and frequent launches of advanced and improved products. According to ‘Indian Television Market Outlook 2015,’ increasing income levels of Indian consumers, easy availability of financing options and growing awareness about innovative technologies have been the main driving factors for growth in this segment. Some are smart TVs that are available across various operating systems; Samsung operates on Tizen, Sony on Android and LG on Web-OS.

Online versus offline Along with conventional electronic re-

tail outlets, online retail chains such as Amazon, eBay, Homeshop18, Snapdeal and Flipkart are mediums where consumers can conveniently place orders through websites or mobile based applications. These retail channels have been dominating consumer demands owing to the busier lifestyles of people and the benefit of comfort provided by these online sales portals. However, according to our research, even though people usually get comparatively lower prices while buying from online retail chains as compared to physical stores, some prefer buying from reputable consumer electronics stores for better customer service experience and satisfaction. Described below are some tips that must be kept in mind while buying a 127cm flat-panel TV.

LED, LCD or plasma Confused between LCD, LED or plasma? Let us try and explain the differences between these.

SOME 127cm (50-inch) FLAT-PANEL TVs

Price

Sony BRAVIA KDL-50W900B

LG 50LA6200

Panasonic VIERA TH-50A410D

Philips 50PFL5059

Mitashi MiDE050v01

Samsung 50J5100

Micromax 50B5000FHD

` 120,000

` 110,347

` 56,500

` 52,990

` 50,617

` 43,500

` 42,000

• Full-HD smart TV, 1920 x 1080 pixels • Wi-Fi and Internet • One USB port • Three HDMI ports • Smart features like apps • Web browser

• Full-HD display, 1920 x 1080 pixels • No smart TV • No picture engine • Hyper-real engine speakers • Two built-in speakers

• Full-HD display, 1920 x 1080 pixels • 60Hz • Two USB ports • Two HDMI ports

Features • Full-HD display, 1920 x 1080 pixels worth • 3D smart TV looking • Wi-Fi and Internet at • Three USB Ports • Four HDMI Ports • Smart features like Web browser • Skype-compatible • Smartremote

• Full-HD display, 1920 x 1080 pixels • Hz MCI • 3D smart TV • Wi-Fi and Internet • Three USB ports • Three HDMI ports • Smart features like games • Web browser • Gesture control

• Full-HD display, 1920 x 1080 pixels • One USB port • Two HDMI ports • 1130mm x 658mm x 60mm

• Full-HD display, 1920 x 1080 pixels • One USB port • Two HDMI ports • 1127mm x 666mm x 62mm

The prices mentioned here are from various e-commerce portals and are subject to change.

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LED TVs are, in fact, just LCD TVs with LED backlights. Their entry has sent almost all LCD screens out of the picture because these offer high picture quality, lower power consumption and are extremely thin as compared to LCDs or plasmas. Morever, consumers these days are getting more inclined towards LED TVs, and this is primarily due to the aggressive marketing initiatives pushed by different global as well as domestic brands. A plasma screen offers premier picture quality and is ideal for movie enthusiasts and gamers who look for great picture quality. However, it consumes a lot of power and so manufacturers are now working on getting this rectified. Another drawback of plasma screens is that these are made out of glass. This normally causes glare from reflected objects in the viewing area. There are companies like Panasonic that use anti-glare filter material to take care of this problem. LCD TVs are economical and offer inferior picture quality as compared to LED and plasma screens. If you are not worried about great picture quality and are looking for a pocket-friendly TV, you can go for this. However, if you are planning to buy an LCD TV, please keep in mind that LCDs are more or less inefficient in terms of power use per display size. This happens primarily because the light that is produced at the back of the screen is blocked before it reaches the viewer.

3D technology If you are planning to go for high 3D performance, you will need a 3D Blu-ray player to watch 3D movies. Moreover, you will also need 3D glasses to view anything in 3D. Both these things are rather expensive. The future of 3D TV depends on adoption of this product at a mass level. New technologies that are being incorporated in these WWW.EFYMAG.COM

televisions are WindowWalls (wallsize displays) and Visible Light Communications.

Sound Most 127cm TVs have poor sound quality because it is impossible to fit a high-quality sound system into a lean and compact device. We recommend buyers to get a surround-sound system for an overall enhanced experience. The added advantage will significantly decrease the gap between picture and sound quality.

Internet connectivity Almost all TVs now come with Internet connectivity, whether it is for steaming online content or getting access to online applications. Most come with built-in Wi-Fi adaptors and Ethernet ports for wired connections.

Ports Make sure there are at least three or four HDMI ports. This is the most common technique for viewing HD images from external devices. USB ports are useful as you can view content from USB drives on your TV.

Smart TVs An increasing number of TV sets come with built-in Wi-Fi for connecting Internet based services for running videos or apps for watching special-interest programmes, downloading on-demand movies, playing games or even posting to social media. Brands like LG and Samsung use a handy bar of icons at the bottom of the screen for this feature, while Sony uses Google Android TV platform for a better consumer experience. Smart TVs also offer customisable homescreens and provide recommendations to viewers with regards to what programmes they should watch based on their personal tastes. ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

113

do-it-yourself ESTYLE

Ten Things You Can Do With Your Old Android Device EFY BUREAU

R

esearch says that, average smartphone users upgrade their smartphones once in every two years. Each time they upgrade a smartphone, the big question of what to do with the old device pops up. There are a number of creative ways they can utilise their old smartphones to improve their day-to-day life. If you too have upgraded your’s recently and are wondering what to with it, read on to find out ten things you can do with your old Android smartphone. Gaming console. It is very easy to pair an old Android device with the television via Google Chromecast and an HDMI cable. You can download a selection of emulators for your classic gaming consoles. There are apps from Super Nintendo to Sega Genesis available for Android. You can pair a Bluetooth gaming console with your Android device and you are good to go. PlayStation remote controller works really well with Android devices. Gym device. Your old Android device can be an ideal gym tool. You can format it, remove unnecessary apps and data. This avoids unnecessary distractions in the gym. You can use your device as an MP3 player while you sweat it out. You can pair it with a cheap fitness tracker or smartwatch for extra functionality. Desktop computer. Yes, you can install your old Android device as a desktop computer. Even the oldest smartphone is more powerful than old desktop computers. You can install Debian or any version of Linux 114

FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

operating system on your device and connect it to a monitor. Then, sync it with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and you are good to go. Car GPS and music player. There is no doubt that you can use old Android device as a GPS navigation unit with your car. There are a number of great navigation apps available for Android (Google Maps, CityMapper, Waze and others). This gives you the option of using the old Android device as a dedicated GPS unit in your car. You can plug it in using an auxilliary cable and double up the usage as a dedicated stereo/ MP3 player. Wi-Fi extender. If you have weak Wi-Fi signals in your house or office, you can extend the signal range using your old Android device. You would need to install apps like fqrouter2. The app will pick up signals and repeat it. However, the app requires a rooted Android device.

Digital photo frame. To turn your smartphone into a digital photo frame, just install an app like Dayframe, load a selection of your favourite photos, sit it in an upright dock and let it roll. This is a sureshot way to impress the guests and keep the memories alive at all times. Baby monitor. You do not need to spend huge amounts of money so you can keep an eye on your precious little one. Apps like Dormi and the simply-named Baby Monitor transform an old smartphone into a baby monitor, while streaming videos and audio to your current device. Security camera. Take advantage of your device’s camera by turning it into a Wi-Fi-enabled security camera to protect your home. Apps exist that are motion-sensitive and will email you with photos. Alarm clock. Who uses an analogue clock these days? Take your pick from the thousands of clock apps in Google Play Store, buy yourself a cheap smartphone dock and you have got an infinitely customisable alarm clock to sit beside your bed. Video chat terminal. Set up your old Android device with apps like Google Hangouts and Skype and use it as a futuristic terminal for face-toface communications. Think of it as an extra extension for your office or living room. Apart from these, there are many other ways you can make use of your old Android device. So get your device out and start tinkering with it. WWW.EFYMAG.COM

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product categories index Products

Page No.

Automation & Robotics

Products

Page No.

Products

Components (Including Active & Passive)

Optics & Optoelectronics

Page No.

Products

Page No.

RK Enterprises ................................................ 129

Allegro Micro ...................................................... 49

Alcon Electronics Private Ltd. .............................. 9

Binay Opto Electronics Pvt Ltd ..................... 16, 17

Eita Technologies ............................................ 128

Cirkit Electro Components P Ltd ...................... 125

Buljin Elemec Pvt Ltd ....................................... 127

Microchip Technology Hong Kong Ltd. .............. 47

Digi-Key Electronics ............................................ 3

ST Microelectronics Marketing Pvt. Ltd ............. 43

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

PCBs, Assemblies & Sub Assemblies

Advance Tech Services Pvt Ltd .......................... 21

Techno Power .................................................. 129

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

Circuit Systems India Ltd ................................. 101

Anritsu India Pvt Ltd .......................................... 25

Toradex Systems (India) Private Limited ............11

Mouser Electronics (India) Private

Sahasra Electronics Pvt Ltd .............................115

Crown Electronic Systems................................ 127

Toshiba India Pvt. Ltd ......................................... 63

Indicators & Monitors)

Limited .............................................................. 7

Cyronics Instruments Pvt Ltd.............................. 36

Murata Electronics India Pvt Ltd ........................ 33

Plugs, Sockets & Connectors

Batteries & Power Supplies

Perfect Radios ................................................. 127

Anand Enterprises ........................................... 128

Arham Electronics & Electricals

Renesas Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. .................... 31

(Nimra Products) .......................................... 127

S.M Semiconductors ........................................ 129

BB Battery India Co. Pvt Ltd .............................. 61

SMD Electro Components ................................ 125

Brite Systems .................................................. 127

Stead Electronics (India) Pvt Ltd .......................118

Digital Promoters (I) Pvt Ltd ............................. 127 Elektro Power Systems ................................... 129

Display Systems

Exide Industries Ltd ............................................ 45

Micromax Instruments ..................................... 127

Good Will Instrument Co. Ltd .......................... 132 Kandhari Photo Electronics P Ltd .................... 128

Educational Training Kits

Keshav Electronics .......................................... 123

Advance Technologies ..................................... 127

Minmax Technology Co. Ltd .............................. 35

Ifabex Technologies ......................................... 128

Mornsun Guangzhou Science & Technology

ISOFT ...............................................................118

Co. Ltd. ........................................................... 91

Test & Measurement Equipment (Including

Auro Controls ..................................................... 59 Jai Mata Electronics ........................................ 128 Punith Electronics .............................................116

Dinteck ............................................................. 128 FLIR Systems ............................................ 71, 121 Keysight Technologies India Pvt Ltd ................. 2, 5 Meco Meters Pvt Ltd .............................. 51, 53, 55 Minoo Impex .................................................... 121

Reseller and Distributors

NANJING GLARUN ATTEN Technology

Digi-Key Electronics ............................................ 3

Co. Ltd ............................................................. 93

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

NI Systems (India) Pvt Ltd ................................ 133

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

Rishabh Instruments Pvt Ltd .............................. 99

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

Rohde & Schwarz .............................................. 29

Safety & Security Products

SIGLENT Technologies Co. Ltd ........................ 109

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

Tangent Test Technologies ................................ 57

Scientific Mes Technik Pvt Ltd ............................ 13

Tektronix India Pvt Ltd ...................................... 134 Sensors & Transducers

National Controlling & Equipments ................... 128

Industrial & Manufacturing Equipment

NECS Power Conditioners ............................... 125

Furukawa (Thailand) Co. Ltd .............................. 15

PSI Enterprises ................................................ 129

Inde Enterprises ................................................ 39

Services

Rajmane Telectric P Ltd ..................................... 59

Indium Corporation ............................................ 71

KMTS Engineering Pvt Ltd ............................... 128

Sakthi Accumulators Private Ltd ...................... 128

Indus Robotics & Automation Research

Raj Electronics ................................................. 129

Zeal Manufacturing Co. ................................... 120

PIC GmbH ......................................................... 41 Training and Certification Institutes ERT Tech. Services .......................................... 128 Ifabex Technologies .......................................... 128

Shavison Electronics Pvt. Ltd. ..........................113

Pvt Ltd .......................................................... 120

Srishti Electronics ............................................ 128

Max Technology & Co. ....................................... 37

Solar Products

Sahasra Electronics Pvt Ltd .............................115

Raj Electronics ................................................. 129

GT Magnetics Pvt Ltd ........................................116

Systellar Innovations ........................................118

Jai Mata Electronics ........................................ 128

Cabinets, Enclosures & Accessories

Transformers

Shrey Plastic Moulders .................................... 129

Materials (Including Chemicals &

SPM Electronics And Systems ......................... 129

Consumables)

Switches & Relays

Wires & Cables

Universal Electronic Agencies ..........................116

Progressive Engineers ..................................... 123

Electronics Relays (India) Pvt Ltd .................... 123

Sagar Switch Gear ............................................117

EFY Magazine Attractions During 2016 MONTH

TECHNOLOGY FOCUS

MARKET SURVEYS

BUYERS’ GUIDE FOR ELECTRONICS LABS

eSTYLE BUYERS’ GUIDE

January

Latest Technologies for Enabling the Internet

Connectors and Terminals

Development Boards

Microwave Ovens Under ` 10,000

February

Drones

Security and Surveillance

Desktop Power Supplies

126cm (50-inch) Flat-Panel Televisions

March

Intuitive Gesture Control

Test and Measurement Equipment

Noise Meters

Blood-Pressure Monitors

April

Latest Display Technologies

Solar Industry

Digital Multimeters

Wireless Printers for Homes

May

Solid-State Storage

3D Printers

3D Printers Under ` 100,000

Fitness Wristbands

June

Affordable Virtual Reality

The Internet of Things

Wi-Fi and Radio Frequency Modules

Earphones

July

Connected Homes and Appliances

Home Automation

Budget-Friendly Oscilloscopes

Wireless Routers for Homes

August

Self-Driving Cars

LED Lighting

LED Chips and Bulbs

Low-Priced Tablets

September

Solar Cells to Inverters: What’s New

Strategic Electronics

Soldering/Desoldering Stations

3G/4G Dongles

October

Sensors

Consumer Electronics

LCD and OLED Display Modules

Smart Televisions

November

The Internet of Things

Medical Electronics

Desktop PCB Manufacturing Equipment

Blood-Sugar Monitors

December

Materials: 3D Printing to Solar Panels

Materials and Chemicals

Motors and Drives

Low-Priced Laptops

130

FEBRUARY 2016 | ELECTRONICS FOR YOU

WWW.EFYMAG.COM

advertisers’ index Client name

Page No.

Advance Tech Services Pvt. Ltd. (www.advancetechonline.in) ..............21

Client name

Page No.

Client name

Page No.

GT Magnetics Pvt. Ltd. (www.gtmagnetic.com) .................................... 116

Progressive Engineers...........................................................................123 PSI Enterprises ......................................................................................129

Advance Technologies ...........................................................................127

IESA Vision Summit 2016 ........................................................................52

Alcon Electronics Private Ltd. (www.alconelectronics.com)......................9

Ifabex Technologies ...............................................................................128

Punith Electronics .................................................................................. 116

Allegro Micro (www.allegromicro.com) ....................................................49

Inde Enterprises (www.indeonline.in) ......................................................39

Raj Electronics .......................................................................................129

Anand Enterprises .................................................................................128

India Electronics Week 2017 ...................................................................19

Rajmane Telectric P Ltd (www.rajmaneteletric.com) ...............................59

Anritsu India Pvt Ltd .................................................................................25

Indium Corporation (www.paigegroup.com) ............................................71

Renesas Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. .........................................................31

Arham Electronics & Electricals (Nimra Products) ................................127

Indus Robotics & Automation Research Pvt. Ltd. ................................120

Rishabh Instruments Pvt Ltd....................................................................99

Auro Controls (www.aurocontrols.com) ...................................................59

ISOFT..................................................................................................... 118

RK Enterprises .......................................................................................129

BB Battery India Co. Pvt Ltd ....................................................................61

Jai Mata Electronics ...............................................................................128

Rohde & Schwarz (www.rohde-schwarz.co.in) .......................................29

Binay Opto Electronics Pvt Ltd (www.binayLED.com) ......................16, 17

Kandhari Photo Electronics P Ltd ..........................................................128

Brite Systems .........................................................................................127

Keshav Electronics ................................................................................123

S.M Semiconductors..............................................................................129

Buljin Elemec Pvt Ltd (www.flexiblepcb.com)........................................127

Keysight Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. (www.keysight.com) ...................2,5

Circuit Systems India Ltd ......................................................................101

Kits N Spares ...........................................................................................27

Cirkit Electro Components P Ltd ...........................................................125

KMTS Engineering Pvt. Ltd. .................................................................128

Crown Electronic Systems .....................................................................127

LEDBazaar.............................................................................................131

Cyronics Instruments Pvt. Ltd. .................................................................36

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

Design in India .......................................................................................120

Max Technology & Co. (www.maxtechnoloindia.com) ............................37

Digi-Key Electronics (www.digikey.com)....................................................3

Meco Meters Pvt Ltd (www.mecoinst.com) .................................51, 55, 53

Digital Promoters (I) Pvt Ltd...................................................................127

Microchip Technology Hong Kong Ltd. (www.microchip.com) ................47

Dinteck ...................................................................................................128

Micromax Instruments (www.micromaxinstruments.com) ....................127

EFY Group: Subscription .........................................................................69

Minmax Technology Co. Ltd (www.minmax.com.tw)...............................35

EFY Group: TOI .....................................................................................122

Minoo Impex...........................................................................................121

Sagar Switch Gear ................................................................................. 117 Sahasra Electronics Pvt Ltd (www.sahasraelectronics.com) ................ 115 Sakthi Accumulators Private Ltd ............................................................128 Schurter Electronics (I) Pvt Ltd .............................................................. 119 Scientific Mes Technik Pvt Ltd (M) (www.scientificindia.com) .................13 Shavison Electronics Pvt. Ltd. (www.shavison.com)............................. 113 Shrey Plastic Moulders (www.shreyplasticmoulders.com)....................129 SIGLENT Technologies Co. Ltd.............................................................109 SMD Electro Components (www.smdelectro.com) ...............................125 SPM Electronics And Systems (spmelectronics.com/) .........................129 Srishti Electronics (www.acedigital.co.in) ..............................................128

Eita Technologies ...................................................................................128

Mornsun Guangzhou Science & Technology Co. Ltd. ............................91

ST Microelectronics Marketing Pvt. Ltd ...................................................43

electronica 2016.......................................................................................77

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

Stead Electronics (India) Pvt. Ltd. (www.steadresistors.com) .............. 118

Electronics Relays (India) Pvt Ltd..........................................................123

Murata Electronics India Pvt Ltd .............................................................33

Systellar Innovations (www.systellar.in)................................................. 118

Elektro Power Systems..........................................................................129

NANJING GLARUN ATTEN Technology Co. Ltd ....................................93

Tangent Test Technologies.......................................................................57

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

National Controlling & Equipments ........................................................128

Techno Power (www.technopowersystems.com)..................................129

ERT Tech.Services.................................................................................128

NECS Power Conditioners ....................................................................125

Tektronix India Pvt Ltd. (www.tektronix.com).........................................134

Exide Industries Ltd (www.exide4u.com) ................................................45

NI Systems (India) Pvt Ltd (www.ni.com) ..............................................133

Toradex Systems (India) Private Limited (www.toradex.com) ................ 11

FLIR Systems (www.flir.com)...........................................................71, 121

Perfect Radios........................................................................................127

Toshiba India Pvt. Ltd...............................................................................63

Furukawa (Thailand) Co. Ltd. ..................................................................15

PIC GmbH (www.pic-gmbh.com) ............................................................41

Universal Electronic Agencies (www.easternradio.co.in) ...................... 116

Good Will Instrument Co. Ltd (www.goodwill.com.tw) ..........................132

Piyush Electronics & Electricals (P) Ltd.................................................125

Zeal Manufacturing Co. (zeal-services.com) .........................................120

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ELECTRONICS FOR YOU | FEBRUARY 2016

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