CANADA’S INFORMATION LEADER FOR ELECTRONIC ENGINEERS AND DESIGNERS
EPT.CA
SEPTEMBER 2019
THEY SHOOT THEY SCORE
Drive Hockey aims to improve sport with its analytics technology p.8
MOON SHOT
Samtec connector designers restore the 50-year-old Apollo Guidance Computer p.14
RJ45 SUCCESSOR
Standard 8-contact RJ45 is butting up against practical limitations in designs p.18
EMBEDDING SYSTEMS
BlackBerry re-establishes tech prominence by driving QNX software platforms into automotive designs p.10
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Infrared Thermopile Triboelectric Magnetic Position Gesture Control Interconnect Rectenna Connected Cloud Decoupled Network Hybrid Envelope-Tracking Signal Re-Entrant Leveraged Design Embedded Logic TEGs Passives Logic Eco-System Third-Order Sensor Clock/Timing Memory Filters SoC Thermal Management Class-G Amplifier Decimated Power-Efficiency Microwave Bluetooth Remote Control FPGA DDS Batteries Betavoltaics MiWi Transceiver Nanogenerators AMR Recycling Radiowaves Ask Receiver Transformers Solar Sensor 2-Way Remote Simplex Transmission ADC Potentiometers Interface NFC Frequency Synthesizers Oscillators Low Energy PMIC Relays WPC-Certified Smart Devices Capacitors Electromechanical Optoisolators ZigBee Semiconductors EMI Tools Hardware Cable
Semiconductors Passives Electromechanical Power Circuit Protection Automation Connectors Interconnect Hyperfast IoT Switches RFID TMR Magnetic Sensors RF Directional Couplers Bipolar Digital Latching Sensor Logic Digital Omnipolar Crystals Augmented Reality Earth-Friendly Display Embedded Cellular IO-Link Solenoids Proximity Sensor Capacitive Touch Embedded Computers Thermocouple Interface PIR Sensor SPI Interface Linear Ultra Low-Power Narrowband Mesh-Networked Virtual Reality Keyfob Isolators MCUs RF Evaluation Dev Boards RF Antennas Axis Tilt Zettabyte Era I2C Robotic Process Automation Microservice Architecture Rezence Compatible XCVR Immersive Experience Artificial Intelligence Internet of Things Na-TECC 3D Alteration Quantum Computing Shunt Sense Touchless Smart Home Technology 5G Mobile Energy Harvesting MotorData Acquisition
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INSIDE Cover BlackBerry QNX Photos (this page, from top): BlackBerry QNX; Cogiscan; Samtec; Harting
Columns
4 EDITORIAL Consumers wary over ‘creepy’ tech issues 8 WEST TECH REPORT Drive Hockey sticks some electronics into your slapshot
In every issue
6 NEWSWATCH 22 NEW PRODUCTS 25 AD INDEX 26 A LOOK BACK
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SEPTEMBER 2019
COVER STORY
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EMBEDDED SYSTEMS BlackBerry QNX takes the wheel in implementing its software platforms in automobiles. RECONNECTING WITH THE MOON 50-years later, Samtec designers restore the Apollo 11 computing system.
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RJ45 UPGRADE The venerable RJ45 connector may be in need of a makeover.
September 2019 / EP&T
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EDITORIAL
Trusting the device: Exploring attitudes toward user privacy Over and over we hear it – from our family members, workmates, neighbours and especially within the results of reports and consumer surveys being completed on attitudes and behaviors toward security, trust and privacy when using electronic devices. Let’s face it, the growth and development of smart or connected ‘things’ is exploding at an unprecedented rate. Thus the paradox, as consumers – we dive in with unbridled acceptance of these techie additions to our lives. In contrast however, there is growing concerns that we are losing grip of our own personal privacy. Consider the results of some recent surveys that involved Canadian consumers and their attitudes towards owning devices such as cars, drones, health monitors,TVs, security cameras, smart speakers and more.
People find connected devices ‘creepy’
This report, completed by Consumers International and the Internet Society, reveals 63% of people surveyed find connected devices ‘creepy’ in the way they collect data about people and their behaviours. This sentiment is echoed throughout the survey, with half of people across markets distrusting their connected devices to protect their privacy and handle their information in a respectful manner (53%). On top of not trusting the device itself to keep data secure, 75% of people agree there is reason for concern about their data being used by other organizations
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without their permission. The security concerns are serious enough to deter almost a third (28%) of people who do not own smart devices from buying one; security concerns are as strong a deterrent as the price of a device. People have concerns about security and privacy but do not know how to adapt and adjust device settings in a way that might allay these fears. 80% of people surveyed are aware of how to set and reset passwords, but only 50% are aware of how to disable the collection of data about users and their behaviours. The survey results also show that a high number think that privacy and security standards should be assured by regulators (88%), followed by manufacturers (81%) and championed by retailers (80%).
Who is responsible for better privacy and security?
Furthermore, a study conducted by BlackBerry earlier this year found approximately 80% of respondents in Canada, United States and the United Kingdom do not trust their current Internet-connected devices to secure their data and privacy. Additionally, when asked about future purchases, respondents said they were more likely to choose a product or do business with a company that had a strong reputation for data security and privacy, and would support a ‘Seal’ or ‘Stamp of Approval’ to demonstrate which Internet-connected devices achieve a certain standard of security. Interestingly, more than half of the respondents (58%) said they would be willing to pay more for Internet-connected products
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Canada’s information leader for electronic engineers and designers SEPTEMBER 2019 Volume 41, Number6
EDITOR Stephen Law slaw@ept.ca · (416) 510-5208 WEST COAST CORRESPONDENT
Sohail Kamal sohail@nextgear.ca
such as Alexa-speakers, home security products, wearables, and more if they know their data and privacy is protected. When asked how much more, 10% of respondents were willing to pay up to 20% more, where the majority preferred 10% or less.
Amazon and Google ‘listening’ issues
Also last month, a report surfaced about Apple contractors being able to listen in on Siri recordings. Similar to recent Amazon and Google ‘listening’ issues, Apple acknowledged that a small number of anonymized Siri requests are analyzed for the purpose of improving Siri, but their privacy terms don’t appear to explicitly state that Siri information is listened to by humans. Another study, conducted in the US, demonstrates that 85% of consumers there agree that manufacturers should only produce connected devices that protect privacy and security.This report showed 82% of Americans agree that retailers should ensure the connected devices they sell have good privacy and security standards. “The survey results underscore the need for IoT manufacturers to build their devices with security and privacy in mind,” said Internet Society president and CEO Andrew Sullivan. “Security should not be an afterthought. It’s clear that manufacturers and retailers need to do more so that consumers can trust their IoT devices.” The results of these consumer surveys certainly echo these sentiments. STEPHEN LAW Editor slaw@ept.ca info@ept.ca
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NEWSWATCH INTERCONNECT
HARTING SEES STRONG GROWTH IN CANADA
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
PATRIOT ONE INKS DEAL WITH AI FIRM
Patriot One Technologies Inc., developer of the PATSCAN Multi-Sensor Covert Threat Detection Platform has signed a collaboration agreement with Xtract Technologies Inc., a Vancouver-based artificial intelligence (AI) firm, to develop and improve new products and services, explore the potential for joint research and development activities and consider the feasibility of future strategic alternatives. 6
Ashley Smith-Heine, vice-president of sales, Harting Americas and Carl Maalouf, director of sales, Harting Canada.
Xtract will work closely with three of the PATSCAN platform component teams – CMR, TMS and VRS – to explore how artificial intelligence technology can augment multiple data sets, such as people and threat objects, to enhance sensor threat-detection performance. In addition, the Xtract team will examine ways data fusion between the three sensor solutions can enhance overall platform effectiveness. “We’re confident that artificial intelligence technology can deliver improved results, further enhancing the PATSCAN Platform’s class-leading performance,” says Kevin O’Neill, CEO of Xtract. “Xtract will be a valuable partner on this strategic project,” adds Martin Cronin, CEO of Patriot One. “We’ve been truly impressed by the Xtract team and how they have delivered for both private and public organizations, giving us confidence that they will have a positive impact on the development and integration of our growing list of threat detection components.”
INNOVATION
ROGERS, COMMUNITECH TO CREATE 5G INNOVATION LAB
Rogers Communications announced a three-year partnership with Communitech to open a new 5G innovation lab that will advance made-in-Canada 5G technology and commercialize 5G use cases. As part of the partnership, the new lab, opening in September, will accelerate and launch smart city, IoT and enterprise
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5G applications – expected to change the way we live and work. “Canada needs a strong 5G ecosystem to thrive and grow in our increasingly connected world,” says Jorge Fernandes, chief technology officer, Rogers Communications. “Our partnership with Communitech is part of our work to bring together experts from universities, businesses, startups and government so our country can lead in the digital economy. This new lab will help bridge the gap between concept and testing to commercialization and market launch for Canadian applications.” Located in Waterloo, North America’s second largest technology cluster, Communitech is a public-private hub that supports over 1,400 companies, helping them grow in the digital economy.
AOI INSPECTION
COGISCAN AND SAKI REACH STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Cogiscan Inc., Bromont QC, a leading track, trace and control (TTC) solutions provider for the electronics manufacturing industry, has partnered with Saki Corp. to expand Saki’s manufacturing software solutions offering. Saki’s solder paste inspection (SPI), automated optical inspection (AOI), and automated x-ray inspection (AXI) software, in combination with Cogiscan’s TTC solutions, aims to speed the development of smart factory solutions. Tokyo, Japan-based Saki is a global leader in the field of automated visual inspection equipment for the printed circuit board assembly market. This partnership will drive the
Photo: Harting
Canada continues to be an excellent performer for Harting Technology Group, recording double digit revenue growth on a regular basis including the year to date. As a result of new opportunities available, the German-based, global technology company revealed at its annual trade media luncheon that it plans to increase its full-time Canadian sales force in the coming months. That will give more customers access to the expertise Harting sales staff can offer to optimize their technology spending. Harting established a direct presence in the Canadian market seven and a half years ago, creating Harting Canada with an office in Montreal. Today, the Canadian sales force is backed by Harting Americas’ inhouse sales department, as well as a comprehensive distributor network. The product support team based in Elgin, IL also assists Canadian customers remotely and even onsite when warranted. Ashley Smith-Heine, vice-president of sales, Harting Americas told the trade media attendees that the sales force expansion is particularly attractive because of a number of stellar opportunities in the Canadian marketplace. She also outlined three specific areas Harting has experienced growth: automation and digitalization, market diversification and marketshare growth. Carl Maalouf, director of sales, Harting Canada noted that having game changing new products like the Harting MICA mini-computer and the ix Industrial connector for IP20 Ethernet applications is giving machine, plant and process designers the chance to design differently.
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industry and the range of its products’ applications are as diverse as our customer base.” “From lighting systems and control panels, to HVAC and transportation manufacturing, our customers require quality products that are reliable and meet the unique challenges each industry presents. WAGO’s German-engineered products, along with the company’s local engineering support, will provide our customers with the quality and reassurance that they have the right solution no matter how unique the requirement,” Masciotra adds. Mitch DeCaire, global director of equipment partnerships, Cogiscan with Norihiro Koike, president, Saki Corp.
development of new software products that will enable Saki customers to recognize and solve manufacturing issues more quickly, while embracing a data-driven approach to continuous improvement. The end result will be enhanced productivity and quality through smarter manufacturing. “The smart factory is becoming more prevalent in the SMT market, making storage and handling of huge amounts of inspection data even more essential,” says Saki president Norihiro Koike.
DISTRIBUTION
DIVERSE NAMED CANADIAN STOCKING DISTRIBUTOR FOR WAGO
Photo: Wago; Cogiscan; TTI; CEVAG; GlobalData
Diverse Electronics, Saint-Laurent QC, has been named the stocking franchise distributor in Canada for WAGO connectors. WAGO is the creator and original patent holder of spring pressure connection technology, which is the basis for most of the
world’s electrical interconnections, electronics interface systems and automation technologies. “Diverse is pleased to be adding WAGO to our product lineup,” says Diverse president Rick Masciotra. “The quality and reputation of the WAGO brand is unsurpassed in the @EPTmagazine
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TTI LAUNCHES MIL/AERO RESOURCE CENTRE
TTI Inc., Fort Worth TX, a leading specialty distributor of electronic components announced the company has a new central hub for market updates and product information on mil/ aero technology. TTI’s comprehensive Military Aerospace Resource Center provides up-to-date content from its mil/aero suppliers including links to white papers, MarketEYE articles, line cards, solution guides and more. Browsers can gain in-depth information about components for aircraft, weapons and weapons systems, ground vehicles, radar, communication systems and satellites.
SMART SENSING TTI launched an online hub for market updates on MIL/Aero tech.
CEVA, IMMERVISION ENTER STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
CEVA Inc. a leading licensor of wireless connectivity and smart sensing technologies, has entered into a strategic partnership agreement with privately owned Immervision Inc. of Montreal. A developer and licensor of wide-angle lenses and image processing technologies, Immervision’s patented image enhancement algorithms and software technologies deliver dramatic improvements in image quality and remove the inherent distortions associated with the use of
wide-angle cameras, particularly at the edges of the frame. Immervision’s technologies have shipped in more than 50 million devices to date through its broad customer base, which includes Acer, Dahua, Garmin, Hanwha, Lenovo, Motorola, Quanta, Sony and Vivotek. Under the partnership agreement, CEVA made a $10 million technology investment to secure exclusive licensing rights to Immervision’s advanced portfolio of patented wide-angle image processing technology and software.This includes real-time adaptive dewarping, stitching, image color and contrast enhancement, and electronic image stabilization.
WEARABLES
WEARABLE TECH TO BECOME $54B INDUSTRY BY 2023
The wearable tech industry was worth nearly $23-billion in 2018 and is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19% to reach $54-billion by 2023, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. GlobalData’s report reveals that the consumer market growth will be driven by sales of smartwatches, which are gaining in popularity as the range of features they offer (including cellular connectivity, health monitoring, and contactless payment) increases. In contrast, fitness tracker sales are falling, due to their limited capabilities when compared to smartwatches. Enterprise adoption of wearable tech is also increasing, thanks to activity in the healthcare, logistics, insurance, fintech and defense markets. “The wearable tech theme incorporates voice-activated virtual assistants such as Apple’s Siri and Google’s Assistant,” says Ed Thomas, GlobalData analyst. “Hearables also have the potential to match, or even exceed, the performance of smartwatches when it comes to providing health monitoring services.” September 2019 / EP&T
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They shoot, they score! Vancouver’s Drive Hockey using sports science and sensors to revolutionize youth development Vancouver-based startup DRIVE Hockey Analytics Inc. is deploying embedded sensors in rinks to give players, coaches and parents analytical data on how players are playing. If this sounds a bit like Moneyball 2.0, you might be right. Pro hockey circles are becoming as data-driven as major league baseball, while Drive Hockey shows them how. West Tech Report spoke with the founder of Drive Hockey, Mike Dahlstedt, to discuss how he has taken cues from NHL data-driven player development and made it simple, affordable and helpful for potentially 1.3 million youth hockey players. Dahlstedt references his experiences as a hockey coach as the inspiration for starting Drive Hockey: “Over the past decade, almost every young hockey player I coached wants to get better and wants to know how to do it. Three different people are going to have three different answers for them.” The debate over player value at the professional level has historically been focused on stats such as goals and assists; accolades like Stanley Cup rings and Hart Trophies; intangibles like toughness
and leadership. Over the past decade, however, advanced statistics such as Corsi and expected goals have started to push the conversation towards advanced data-driven player analysis for improving players and teams in professional sports. Dahlstedt hopes to address the challenges of assisting budding young players through recording and reflecting on their plays, then analyzing the data and making development-based suggestions for the best decisions. “We started as a
project sponsored by British Columbia Institute of Technology’s (BCIT) MAKE+ prototype team and created an emerging business with enormous support coming from within the hockey community,” says Dahlstedt. “Hockey is one of the few sports growing internationally and the need to better develop players at a grassroots level has been fueling interest in Drive Hockey.” The daunting task of finding the ideal technological method for tracking a free-flowing sport like hockey has been perhaps the largest
challenge facing the sport’s analysts. Fortunately, the NHL data boom has arrived. But, the question remains as to how and when this data will be organized, studied and deployed to produce a cost-effective youth hockey offering. “Our biggest challenge was technical, tracking hockey stats. Today it’s done manually and sometimes with the help of video. Our market needs a simple, automated and effective system that could operate in any one of 5,000 rinks, not just in 30 NHL rinks like pro solutions,” explains Dahlstedt. “The solution required a variety of sensors on a mobile platform operating in a hostile environment backed by a big data infrastructure with near real-time data transformation. There is a lot of technical disciplines required and like any start-up, we have a tight budget.” But Drive Hockey kept at it. They surrounded themselves with expert advisers in those discipline areas, and with support, they developed talent internally. “We are still looking to expand our network and get in touch with technical and hockey professionals outside of our local network looking to get involved with what we are doing,” he says.
Sohail Kamal is EP&T’s West Coast correspondent. sohail@nextgear.ca
Photo: Drive Hockey Analytics Inc.
WEST TECH REPORT
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EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
COVER STORY
BlackBerry QNX embeds itself in the auto world Firm’s real-time safe and secure operating system finds global success in the automotive and embedded markets. BY STEPHEN LAW
BlackBerry’s QNX software is already in tens of millions of cars, underpinning systems related to driver assistance, telematics, instrument clusters and entertainment consoles. What have been some of the biggest challenges facing your engineers in its latest developments? The role of automotive software has
changed profoundly in recent years. Software is now being used and is relied upon for critical operations that were previously being performed by hardware. The complexity of the software and the functions it performs continues to grow and our customers rely on our software and services to help them build these complex critical systems. One only needs to look at the average instrument cluster of a new mid-market car to see this in action. Responsible for relaying important information to the driver, the architecture of the cluster has fundamentally changed. Physical gauges and warning lights have been digitally replaced by software to perform the same functions. Our engineers were faced with the challenge of building software that ensures the cluster is displaying correct information in real-time, while adhering to the ISO 26262 functional safety standard. The challenge in this case is further augmented by the fact that the instrument cluster also makes use of GPU supplier’s software, which is quite complex and not designed with functional safety certification in mind. In this example, we designed and developed an integrated software platform for instrument clusters with an ISO 26262 certified graphics monitor and integrated it with our QNX safety certified operating system. We are seeing functional safety requirements in more and more automotive systems. The good news is that BlackBerry QNX has a very strong pedigree in building safe and secure software for mission critical, safety critical and life critical embedded systems. This pedigree 100% applies to the ISO 26262 functional safety certification requirements in automotive and as a result, we have invested significantly in this area and offer many safety certified products including
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our QNX operating system, hypervisor, graphics monitor, communications software, development tools and other middleware. What are the challenges and opportunities for the automotive and related sectors looking to embrace this emerging technology? The automotive industry is undergoing a digital transformation. While the bulk of a car’s value was traditionally comprised of its mechanical, hardware, and other physical components, software and connected services are quickly becoming the most important drivers of value, and a key differentiator, for car makers. The next gen vehicle architecture has evolved from being hardware-driven to software-defined. Software is now quite literally in the driver’s seat, steering the car industry and redirecting the way it’s been organized since those halcyon days of Henry Ford– who famously remarked that customers could have any color car they wanted as long as it was black.Speaking of Ford, we’re now seeing leading automakers go on record to say they need to think more like a software company in order to thrive within the industry’s future. The automobile’s move to more of a software platform that can support a broader ecosystem and car-centric applications is why you are seeing so many acquisitions, alliances and new entrants in this industry. The car will become a software platform where commercialization of ADAS, suspension and engine features, plus other valued-added services are enabled. Has government funding, supplied to BlackBerry, been used specifically towards software development and skills training for its engineers?
Photo: BlackBerry QNX
For 20 years, BlackBerry QNX, the automotive-focused business arm of BlackBerry Ltd., has been a global supplier of software platforms and engineering services to the auto industry, with deployments in more than 150 million vehicles worldwide. Already a leading supplier for telematics, infotainment, acoustics and instrument cluster systems, BlackBerry QNX extended its platform expertise into ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), secure gateways, Autonomous Drive controllers, V2X systems and secure over-the-air software update services. Essentially, the BlackBerry QNX technology has become the software platform of choice for connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) globally. As the industry evolves from connected, to automated and ultimately to autonomous driving, the electronic architecture of the car will fundamentally change from having more than 100 disparate electronic control units (ECUs) distributed throughout the car, to a dozen or so high-performance domain controllers. BlackBerry QNX has developed foundational technology software to support this transition, anchored by its safety-certified and secure operating system (OS) and hypervisor. Here, EP&T speaks with Grant Courville, vice-president, products and strategy, BlackBerry QNX.
BlackBerry has a very strong pedigree in building safe and secure software for mission, safety and life-critical embedded systems.
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The Government of Canada’s $40 million investment is part of a larger $310.5 million that the company has committed to help us further develop safe and secure software systems for the next generation of connected and autonomous vehicles. As part of this program, over the next 10 years, BlackBerry will hire more than 800 of the best and brightest engineers, scientists, and other highly-skilled individuals from Canada and around the world. With this funding, these new hires will help us to accelerate the development of our transformative automotive technologies that will help drive our future. Is it possible for BlackBerry QNX to achieve the level of status and widespread use within the automotive market, in the same way BlackBerry’s Smartphone dominated the communications field? With BlackBerry currently powering more than 150 million cars on the road today, we’re well on our way to achieving that same level of ubiquity and widespread use within the global automotive market. The connected car market is set for some serious momentum over the next few years with demand for all of the associated technologies — think internet access, new digital cockpit systems, Over-The-Air software delivery, advanced safety functions, and other advanced technology-based features rising at a significant pace. The world’s leading automakers, their Tier 1 suppliers, chip manufacturers and new startups continue to put their trust in BlackBerry and our ability to provide them with the safety-certified and secure software on which they can build the next generation of cars. I am most certainly counting on further cementing our already well established leadership role within the automotive supply chain. @EPTmagazine
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Grant Courville, vice-president, products and strategy, BlackBerry QNX.
Outline some of the various milestones BlackBerry QNX has achieved to firmly establish its footprint in the automotive electronics marketplace. In 1998, after undertaking an exhaustive operating system selection process, we were proud to have been selected by Delphi as the operating system platform for their next generation infotainment systems. They realized that infotainment systems would likely become one of the most complex and software-rich systems in the car … and they were absolutely right. Delphi was our first automotive customer. Since that time, our software has been deployed across multiple in-car systems in millions of vehicles and as mentioned, our software has been selected as the foundation for next generation vehicles. In terms of milestones, I am proud to say that we have had many customer, partner and product announcements over the years. At the end of the day, it’s our customers, valued partners and the market at large that drive our strategy, our investments and the decisions we make. Our achievements are a result of that. Of the publicly announced milestones and achievements some of the ones that come to mind are our recent announcement about how BlackBerry’s QNX Software is in more than 150 million vehicles on the road today and the Government of Canada’s $40 million investment in BlackBerry QNX to accelerate our development of safe and secure software for the next generation vehicles. We have also had many companies endorse us publicly such as automakers (Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Byton, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Karma, KIA, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen to name a few, and our many other partner and customer announcements with companies such as DENSO, Harman, LGe, Intel, NXP, NVIDIA, Panasonic, Qualcomm, Renesas, Texas Instruments. Of course, as we continued to execute on our strategy, we have also announced significant product achievements related to ADAS, Acoustics, V2X SCMS, our operating system, hypervisor, digital cockpit, instrument clusters, infotainment and our product certifications related safety (ISO 26262, IEC 61508) and security. Describe the importance of BlackBerry QNX Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre (AVIC) and the part it plays within the electronics ecosystem of Ottawa. The bulk of our connected & autonomous
vehicle work takes place at our Ottawa office where our Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre (AVIC) is located. We have deep roots in the Ottawa area which has recently become a hotbed for innovative AV technologies. We have established a number of partnerships to help us bolster our automotive industry leadership position as a developer of safety-certified and secure automotive software for connected and autonomous vehicles. The BlackBerry QNX Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre serves as a catalyst and funnel for the private, public, and academic sectors, to collaborate on hands-on projects that provide proof-ofconcept and production-ready solutions for connected, automated, and autonomous vehicles. The AVIC facilitates the integration of new software, hardware, sensors and other leading edge technology to help us all work on solving the challenges that next generation vehicles will present. To compliment the AVIC’s capabilities, in collaboration with Invest Ottawa, we also recently helped define the new Ottawa L5 AV test facilities, which launched in May 2019 and provides the perfect environment to trial next-generation technology. This new site has enabled us to accelerate our AV research, development and testing. The Ottawa L5 facilities have also attracted AV companies from around the world and are helping to further build up a critical mass of talent right here in Ottawa. We are also constantly looking to push the limits of our technology in a safe, controlled environment so that we can further refine our broad portfolio of automotive software solutions. We do a lot of R&D testing at the AVIC, at Ottawa L5 and out on the Kanata public test track. Back in October 2017, we did a public demonstration of some of our advanced research and development and conducted the first on-street test drive in Canada of an AV communicating with live city infrastructure. Describe BlackBerry’s progress in automotive cybersecurity and recently achieving the highest level of automotive certification for functional safety. BlackBerry has a broad portfolio of products and services to protect vehicles against cybersecurity attacks. We also have a broad portfolio of functional safety-certified software including our QNX operating system, hypervisor, development tools and middleware for autonomous and connected vehicles. Our software has been deployed in critical September 2019 / EP&T
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BlackBerry QNX extended its expertise into Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) becoming the car sector’s software plaform of choice. embedded systems for over three decades and as you correctly pointed out, it’s been certified to the highest level of automotive certification for functional safety with ISO 26262 ASIL D. As a company, we are investing significantly to broaden our safety and security product and services portfolio. Simply put, this is what our customers demand and rely on from us — a safe, secure and reliable software platform. Currently, our safety-certified, secure foundational automotive software is used by over 45 automakers and in more than 150 million vehicles on the road today. For well over 3 decades, BlackBerry QNX technology has powered many of the world’s most mission-critical embedded systems including nuclear power plants, industrial controllers, surgical robots and class III life-critical medical devices; the
types of systems that are required to operate safely, securely and reliably, without failure. As it pertains to security, we firmly believe that security cannot be an afterthought. For automakers and the entire automotive supply chain, security should be inherent in the entire product lifecycle. As part of our ongoing commitment to security, we published a 7-Pillar Cybersecurity Recommendation to share our insight and expertise on this topic. In addition to our safety-certified and secure operating system and hypervisor, BlackBerry provides a host of security products– such as managed PKI, FIPS 140-2 certified toolkits, key inject tools, binary code static analysis tools, security credential management systems (SCMS), and secure Over-The-Air (OTA) Software Update technology. The world’s leading automakers, tier ones, and
How integral has QNX’s specialized Value-Added Integrator (VAI) program been to broadening its markets, distribution channels and embedded application use? An increasing amount of devices are becoming connected in the IoT. Having a global network of value-added integrators, distributors, and reseller experts trained on BlackBerry QNX and BlackBerry Certicom technologies is key to ensuring that our global customer base can leverage our software and services to help build the most secure and reliable IoT devices. In the last quarter alone, BlackBerry added more than a dozen partners globally, many of which are leaders in areas such hardware & embedded software design and development, product engineering as well as testing & certification. It’s clear from our channel program’s continued growth that demand for highly reliable and secure embedded software solutions is stronger than ever. The flurry of new partners that we’ve added to our channel ecosystem as of late raises the total number of partners within BlackBerry QNX’s Channel Partner Program to more than 25. We’ve built our channel program because it’s an
incredibly powerful growth engine for the company, fueled by skyrocketing demand for highly reliable and secure embedded software solutions. Additionally, our new partners expand our reach to a broader customer base for safety-certified embedded systems in Automotive, Medical, Industrial, Transportation and Rail where safety, security and reliability are of paramount importance. What steps is BlackBerry QNX currently taking to broaden or deepen its position within the automotive design market? As a company, we are taking a broader look at the entire transportation industry. Examining the next-generation connected, automated and autonomous vehicles, it’s clear that building consumer trust when it comes to safety is just as important as building the technology. For the general public to accept and ultimately adopt automated and autonomous vehicles, there needs to be trust in the technologies, trust in their advantages and of course, trust that the companies building them (and profiting off of them) will act responsibly. As you have likely heard from us before, we believe it’s a moral imperative for those of us within the industry that are advancing this fast approaching future to make sure it is both safe and secure.
Photo: BlackBerry QNX
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FEATURE
Connecting with history
Restoring the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11. BY DANNY BOESING
The Samtec designer team tests the Apollo Guidance Computer (ASG).
Samtec Inc., a global leader in the electronic interconnect industry, participated in the process of restoring the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC), to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. If you’re like me, you’ve watched and read about the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The achievement is all the more remarkable considering the archaic technology that got us there and back. For me, this story began with an email last Fall from my co-worker Marc Verdiell, the chief technology officer of the Samtec Optical Group in Santa Clara CA. In his spare-time he is part of a small group that restores vintage computers.We both have an appreciation for history and this project intrigued. That job was to restore an even rarer computer, the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC), in time for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.The AGC is the computer that navigated Apollo spacecraft to the moon and back, including the landing and ascent of the Lunar Modules to the moon’s surface.
Both the Command Module and the Lunar Module had their own computer. It turns out one of the bigger challenges in getting the AGC to work was the restoration of the connectors. Verdiell and I both work at Samtec and he asked if we could design, build, and donate replacement connectors for the AGC. This is tricky because the connectors that needed to be replaced were 1960-era products and are no longer available. Further complicating matters was Samtec opened its doors in 1976 and never made these types of connectors. However, Verdiell had copies of the original prints and we got to work. This journey really began in 1976, when Jimmie Loocke, a former technician at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center (now Johnson Space Center), was looking for budget electronic components at a recycler’s warehouse. Included in this purchase was the rare AGC. Realizing the AGC was in good-enough condition to be restored, further industry recruits were added including Mike Steward, Carl Claunch and Ken Shirriff. The restoration team gathered in a Houston hotel suite for two weeks, along with bunch of
14 ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY / September 2019
expensive and sensitive electronic diagnostic equipment. Fortunately, industry colleague Stewart already had the complete schematics of the AGC because he had spent several years researching and building a faithful replica of the computer. The ACG was divided into two trays — A & B. Tray A was mostly logic modules, while B was memory. The AGC had a modular design because NASA didn’t trust the reliability of computers at the beginning of the program. This led to the lunar module being equipped with a full set of extra modules that the astronauts could exchange in flight. Although the in-flight repair requirement was later dropped and the computer never failed, the original modular design remained. Our team first removed the A modules and tested each one. As you can imagine, this was incredibly detailed, painstakingly slow work. They connected each module to their ‘mobile test bench’ and tested every gate to make sure it worked. After one week of testing, they were surprised to determine that all A modules appeared to work and were safe to power up. When powered, the logic modules worked well enough that the computer went through the first instructions of its boot sequence. It did not go very far into the sequence since it still lacked Tray B memory, but the fact that it did so was greatly encouraging.
Quality Design
It is extremely unusual that a computer of this age would try to boot on its first attempt without a month of debug and countless repairs. For example, the 1960’s IBM 1401, which the team had previously restored, had 200 faults. Similarly, the 1970’s era Xerox Alto took nine months of effort to boot. The team was flabbergasted that they could
have literally skipped all of the testing and could have just powered up the AGC Tray A, and it would have worked. This was a testament to the quality of its design and workmanship. For example, the system voltage reference source was specified at 5 volts. When powered, the system came to 4.99 +/- 0.01 volts. Think about it: this is 50+ year-old equipment was running within 0.20% of the original specification. For that matter, the system had two power supplies and both came online perfectly regulated to full load. On the final day of their twoweek exploratory visit to Houston, about 20-minutes before they were to return to the airport, Stewart succeeded in connecting an FPGA memory simulator that he had engineered on the spot into the computer backplane. The original Apollo 11 program was loaded and the AGC ran 2,000 instructions. This was another huge success, which greatly encouraged the team. Verdielli said later this was one event that convinced them we would achieve our goal.
Memory challenges
Next up was the memory modules, which proved more challenging. Verdiell took the core memory module with him for more analysis. Fortunately, they located and repaired a break in one of three potted modules The module was brought to Samtec to be inspected with the firm’s sophisticated X-Ray/CT equipment. Scans revealed that the break was not close to the module pins, which unfortunately would be the only location where there would be a chance for repair. Time Domain Reflectometry and Frequency Domain Analysis later performed in Verdielli’s own lab confirmed that the break was located deep inside the core stack and buried in the potting, in an unreachable location. Plans for a direct repair were abandoned. Fortunately, for extra reliability, the memory was designed with an extra bit in the form of a parity bit, used solely for error detection. It was decided to reuse the parity bit to replace the faulty bit and disable parity checking. This would
Photo: Samtec
CONNECTORS & INTERCONNECTS
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AGC Road Trip
The team began exploring with Loocke the possibility of bringing the entire AGC to Verdiell’s lab in California to complete its restoration. When the team arrived it discovered three more faults in another potted memory system module. Fortunately, they were able to repair all of them. We also repaired the read-only rope memory system that contains the programs. The rope memory system on this AGC was a ground test model, also built by Raytheon, but not to the same standards as the space-rated AGC. It behaved much closer to
one to restore, the team what you’d expect from a built their own DSKY computer of this age: it had replica. dozens of faults, many of them intermittent, sprinkled throughout. EventualWhy Do This? ly, after all of the modules At the end of our last conwere repaired and installed versation, I asked Marc in the AGC, it passed all why he did all of this. I assumed his answer would be logic, memory tests. something like he did it Finally, we began running because the lunar landing the original computer programs, the most interesting is arguably one of the greatbeing P63, the iconic pro- Grid array connector designed for the project. est human achievements. But, his first response gram that controlled the was “because it was fun.” Apollo 11 lunar module with 24 seconds of fuel left in the (‘Eagle’) descent for the actual tank, mostly thanks to the AGC. He later acknowledged the hismoon landing.The P63 computThe AGC’s data output and torical significance, but then he erized flight control was essential monitors were nothing like the added, “You can’t top this one. to a successful lunar landing. video games of today. The resto- This is where computers went NASA had deemed impossible ration team, just like the original from the size of an entire room for humans to fly the landing Apollo astronauts, were looking to their current size. It’s the first given the barely sufficient at a small screen with a black computer used to fly a machine, amount of fuel allocated. Al- background and green block let alone to fly one into space. though Neil Armstrong famous- letters, known as the Dis- It’s obvious it was made by an ly assumed manual control of play-Keyboard interf ace, A+ team. When you restore it, the ship for the few last minutes DSKY for short. As they you feel like you’re there in the of the landing to avoid a rock couldn’t get any of the major 1960’s again. You get to relive field, Eagle successfully landed museums to lend them a real Apollo; that’s priceless.”
THE WAY TO CONNECT
Photo: Samtec
require (reversible) changes in the AGC wire-wrapped backplane, a delicate operation for sure, but not impossible. Also, the analog modules supporting the memory sections were much more difficult to test. Next steps had to be performed in a properly equipped lab.
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FEATURE
In search of the (much smaller) RJ45 successor
While the standard eight-contact RJ45 has plenty of run left – it’s also butting up against practical limitations in plant and product design. BY PIOTR POLAK Since the advent of the digital age, the venerable RJ45 has been the go-to choice for plant and device designers. Consumers simply know it as the ‘Ethernet jack’ that networks their computer, modem, printer and other devices. In industry, convenience and compatibility prevailed over other considerations for IP20 connectivity, so component makers complied; my company, for example, developed the RJ Industrial, which at the time was the world’s first industrial-grade RJ45, and more recently, the RJ Industrial 10G. While the standard eight-contact RJ45 has plenty of run left – it’s a proven, cost-effective choice for many applications – it’s also butting up against practical limitations in plant and product design. It’s not particularly robust, prone to broken locking tabs and occasional contact and interference problems. More importantly, it’s unshrinkable. System planners and device designers urgently require smaller, more reliable Ethernet connectors to reduce the size of their devices or deploy hundreds of sensors to create a digital neural factory net on the shop floor. An RJ45 socket can take up most of the space in the housing on small industrial computers, switches, WLAN access points, routers, etc. A miniaturized alternative to RJ45s should deliver 1/10 Gbit/s speeds, be extremely robust, deliver power and data with impeccable signal quality in the most challenging environments – like those in manufacturing, transportation, health science and vision and surveillance – and offer easy integration into existing IP20 networks. They should be
Harting ix Industrial - Ethernet Interface connector device.
designed and manufactured to a global standard. Round M8/ M12 connectors tick some of these boxes, but they’re still too big for many applications. That need for a tiny alternative prompted Harting and Hirose Electric of Japan to collaborate in developing a true miniature RJ45 successor, the 10-contact, rectangular ix Industrial. It’s 70% smaller than the RJ45, rated for Category 6A, with a high-current capacity (50Vac / 60Vdc at 1.5A) for current and future PoE/PoE+ and 4PPoE applications and an operating temperature rating of -40C to +85C. Developers were cognizant of the vulnerability associated with the RJ45 design, therefore, the ix Industrial has been designed to be considerably more robust. The connectors have a stable locking mechanism using two metal hooks, which engage with a clearly audible click when mated, providing the user with acoustic and haptic feedback. Such a safe, vibration-proof mechanism makes the connector suitable for any job with high
18 ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY / September 2019
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mechanical loading. In order to compensate for forces exerted on the connector cable, the ix Industrial has excellent strain relief that connects firmly to the shielding via a robust shield crimp. This ensures a strong connection – from the five THR shield contacts connected by means of the two snap hooks in the plug area through to the cable itself. This rugged interface meets even the severe shock and vibration resistance required by the EN 50155 railway specifications, guaranteeing a long service life for at least 5,000 mating cycles. Even after this high number of (dis-)connections, all relevant parameters, such as transition and insulation resistance, voltage resistance and the connection and pulling forces, remain within the allowable limits. The Harting test regime employed for ix Industrial connectors covers all environmental simulations such as various storage situations at climatic extremes and corrosive gases as well as a variety of mechanical tests to confirm vibration
resistance, contact durability and connection and pulling forces. EMC is always a concern in high speed data transmission. The ix Industrial boasts 360º shielding. There are no unprotected wires from the cable to the connection point that could prevent a fault-free high frequency signal. The cable shield is crimped directly to the connector housing with the crimped ring for strain relief and continuous shield transition. In such a small connector with such small, closely arrayed contacts, it was a challenge to effectively minimize the interrelation between the individual data pairs. This was achieved by concealing a shield case between the two contact rows in the socket, which effectively prevents interrelation between the two opposing rows of five contacts each. In each row, the middle contact serves as a shield between two pairs of wires.This central contact on the pcb is connected to the earth potential. This contact arrangement is similar to that of the larger X-coded M12. Each pair of wires are well-shielded from their neighbours in a separate cable or connector quadrant, protecting against crosstalk.
Data transmission & power supply combined
The connector’s Cat. 6A rating means the ix Industrial is future-proofed for 1/10 Gbit/s Ethernet. Combining data transmission and power supply in a single interface also reduces the installation space required for termination technology. Easy network and production integration is assured by two factors. For on-board applications, the data contacts are SMD contacts; the connector’s pcb sockets can be processed using normal reflow soldering along with all other conventional components. No separate manual or wave-soldering step is necessary; the connector interface is firmly anchored on the board and can withstand rough handling. Its miniaturized socket and plugs allow a significantly higher packing density, so designers can reduce the size of their end devices.
Photo: Harting
CONNECTORS & INTERCONNECTS
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With the upright and angled ix Industrial sockets now on the market, the minimum spacing between sockets is just 10 mm. A flat, angled design is under development for very flat devices. Angled variants will make possible more space critical applications using angled cable outlets. For cabling, the ix Industrial can be assembled with the mating face on both ends or mixed, i.e. with it on one end and either an RJ45 or M12 on the other. This enables a gradual adoption of this new technology in controls architecture without the need to directly revise entire
DG12
systems. The development of the ix Industrial mating face was designed and built to its own certification standard – IEC 61076-3-124 – to provide users with quality assurance and investment security. Harting is orienting development towards the industrial market, while HIROSE provides miniaturized connection solutions for small portable devices such as mobile phones, tablets & cameras. Piotr Polak is DC2 product manager, industrial communications connectivity solutions, Harting Inc. of North America
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IEC 60601-1 (ed 3.1 BF rated) and EMC immunity IEC 60601-1-2 (ed 4) for future proofing designs. Products provide a universal input range, output voltages from 12 to 58Vdc for use worldwide, and all units have low inrush current of 25A maximum to allow parallel ac primary connection of up to 3 units when using the load share function to support more demanding applications, delivering up to 2700W. versatilepower.com
650V SIC FET PACKAGES DELIVER 30-80MOHMS VALUES UNITEDSiC
UF3C FAST series of hard-switching 650V SiC FETs now includes TO220-3L package options. Products provide RDS(on) values of 30mohms (UF3C065030T3S) and 80mohms (UF3C065080T3S). The three-leaded, industry-standard TO220-3L package features enhanced thermal characteristics made possible by a sintered-silver packaging technology developed by UnitedSiC. Both devices deliver a more powerful performance in a 3-lead TO220 package option for applications such as EV charging, PV inverters, switch mode power supplies, power factor correction modules, motor drives and induction heating. unitedsic.com/cascodes/
POWER SUPPLIES UPGRADE SAFETY, EFFICIENCY
FSP Hydro G Pro Series power supplies are fully modular with ribbon cables for easy installation and a neat build. The combined Fluid Dynamic Bearing
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safety design with IEC62368 certification in a more compact size, plus a switchable Eco mode for minimized noise. Products are available in 850W and 1000W versions. www.fsp-group.com
500W DC-DC CONVERTER CAN BE PARALLELED FOR UP TO 5000W GREEN WATT POWER
EVD500 Series of fully encapsulated, ruggedized dc-dc converters for electric vehicle applications has two input ranges, 30 to 65Vdc and 50 to 130Vdc, with output voltages of 13.5, 14.2 or 27.5Vdc to power auxiliary EV functions such as lights, instruments, accessories, etc. Unit has a constant current function, so it can connect directly to a battery load. Product delivers low battery conservation with a Quiescent Current Draw of less than 30uA. Device is fully isolated input to output and protected by over voltage protection, short circuit protection, input reverse polarity protection and over temperature protection. www.greenwattpower.com
175°C DIODES AND TRANSISTORS COME IN SOT23 PACKAGE
NEXPERIA BAS16/21 high-speed switching diodes and BC807/817 general purpose transistors are part of firm’s SOT23-packaged family and are now fully-specified for operation up to 175°C degrees. The 175°C SOT23 devices also feature a 25% higher
Ptot (total power dissipation) than basic 150°C rated parts. This enables customers to realize a high-temperature design for under-the-hood applications. The parts are also qualified according to AEC-Q101 for high automotive reliability. Product family is available in packages ranging from leadless DFN to leaded SMD and clipbond FlatPower (CFP) and LFPAK packages. www.nexperia.com/pip/BAS16TH
GAN-BASED AC-DC CONVERTER ICS BOOST POWER, EFFICIENCY
POWER INTEGRATIONS InnoSwitch 3 families of offline CV/CC flyback switcher ICs provide up to 95% efficiency across the full load range and up to 100W in enclosed adapter implementations without requiring a heatsink. This performance is achieved using an internally developed high-voltage GaN switch technology. GaN switches replace the traditional silicon high-voltage transistors on the primary side of the IC, reducing conduction losses when
current is flowing, and considerably reducing switching losses during operation. This results in substantially less wasted energy and therefore increased efficiency and power delivery from the space-saving InSOP-24D package. www.power.com
LORA TRANSCEIVERS SUIT IOT APPLICATIONS FUTURE ELECTRONICS Semtech SX1261 and SX261 LoRa sub-GHz radio transceivers are suitable for long range wireless and IoT applications. Both devices deliver long battery life with 4.2mA of active receive current consumption. SX1261 can transmit up to +15dBm and SX1262 can transmit up to +22dBm with highly efficient integrated power amplifiers. www.FutureElectronics.com
Visit ept.ca for the latest new products, news and industry events. EPT.CA
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DESIGN SOURCE
NEW PRODUCTS
PUSHBUTTON MEETS DEMANDING ENVIRONMENTS
XTRONICS IX series pushbutton combines backlit switch, 12mm diameter compact bushing and flexible elastomer membrane actuator. Suitable for harsh environments, device features a flexible elastomer membrane actuator, with no space between it and bushing, providing IP69K panel sealing. www.xtronics.ca
ULTRA-MINIATURE QUARTZ CRYSTAL HAS 0.33MM HEIGHT
WURTH ELEKTRONIK IQD Frequency Products IQXC-240 tiny quartz crystals measure 1.2 x 1.0mm with 0.33mm height. Device comes in frequencies between 36MHz and 80MHz and is suitable for tight space applications, such as IoT, VGA, USB and Wi-Fi. Frequency stabilities can be specified as low as ±10ppm over the commercial temperature range of -20 to 70C and
±15ppm over the industrial temperature range of -40 to 85C. Frequency tolerance can be specified down to ±7ppm. www.we-online.com
ACTIVE SOLDERING TIPS BOOST PRECISION, PERFORMANCE
WELLER TOOLS Active RT soldering tip series delivers high precision, while maximizing performance and power. Tips work exclusively with the high performance WX platform of soldering stations. Products comply fully with
To Be Skillful CoaxStrip Family
Coaxial Cable Stripping Machines With an average 20 percent increase in production output, Schleuniger‘s new generation of programmable, multi-step stripping machines allows for precise stripping of coaxial, triaxial and multiconductor cable, as well as single conductor wire.
Cable end detection for precise and repeatable strip lengths Cable diameter verification for quality control and assurance Automatic cable retraction for easier processing of long strip lengths Barcode scanning function Wire Solutions for a Connected World
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IPC industry standards. The MS versions are also MIL-SPEC compliant and therefore protect both the printed circuit board and component. Designed with an ergonomic and secure grip, the patented tip/ handle unit enables speedy, hassle-free tool-less tip change. www.weller-tools.com
CROSSOVER PROCESSOR COMES WITH ARM CORTEX-M7 CORE
NXP SEMICONDUCTORS i.MX RT1010 crossover processor with Arm Cortex-M7 core provides a high level of integration and security up to 500MHz. Affordable performance with ease-of-use, chip is firm’s latest break-through device that enables improved performance. Device carries forth the ease-of-use enabled by MCUXpresso software and tools. Device comes with external memory interface options and delivers low, dynamic power with integrated dc-dc converter. Devices are available in 80 LQFP packages for low-cost pcb designs. www.nxp.com EPT.CA
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Optimal Resistors for Transportation Applications in Electric Vehicles Shop Ohmite at e-sonic.com
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INTERACTIVE TOOL AIDS MODIFICATION OF ENCLOSURES
RITTAL Rittal Configuration System is a web-based tool that makes it easy to configure firm’s enclosures and accessories quickly and accurately. Online tool encompasses firm’s enclosure product families including select freestanding, wallmount and junction box enclosures. Users are able to select their enclosure from a set of filters; choosing by product family, by dimensions, by IP rating, or by a combination of filters. Users can add accessories to the design. www.rittal.us/contents/ rittal-configuration-system
ULTRA-SMALL 32-BIT MICROCONTROLLERS REDUCE PCB FOOTPRINT
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RENESAS ELECTRONICS RX651 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs) supplied in ultra-small 64-pin BGA and LQFP packages reduce footprint size by 59% compared to the 100-pin LGA and a 64-pin (10mm x 10mm) LQFP that provides a 49% reduction versus the 100-pin LQFP. Devices address advanced security needs for endpoint devices employing compact sensor and communication modules in industrial, network control, building automation, and smart metering systems operating at the IoT edge. www.renesas.com
SMART ANALYZER TRACKS REFLOW OVEN STABILITY KIC THERMAL SRA (Smart Reflow Analyzer) is an integrated fixture and profiler specifically designed for collecting reflow oven related data to analyze and track machine stability
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from run to run, and over time. As it contains a built-in data collection module, it is an all-in-one smart fixture. This means that the SRA can be used independently no matter whose profiler you may currently have. Unit has six embedded thermocouples — three Air TCs and three Mass TCs – which are used to calculate and display a variety of data for each oven zone such as measured zone temperatures and side to side uniformity. www.kicthermal.com
64-BIT, MULTICORE MICROPROCESSORS ARE SCALABLE
MOUSER ELECTRONICS Intel Xeon Second Generation Scalable Gold Processors are 64-bit, multicore server microprocessors built on 14nm lithography process technology. Devices are based on the Cascade Lake microarchitecture that allows for higher clock speeds and are also optimized for demanding mainstream data center, multi-cloud compute and network and storage workloads. Devices provide up to 22 cores/44 threads and feature Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 that ramps up to 4.4GHz. Processors also feature up to four-socket scalability and support up to 46 bits of physical address space and 48 bits of virtual address space. www.mouser.ca/
EYEPIECE-LESS STEREO MICROSCOPE BOOSTS PRODUCTIVITY
VISION ENGINEERING Lynx EVO high productivity eyepiece-less stereo microscope is suitable for intricate tasks requiring high-resolution 3D stereo viewing. Enhanced ergonomics boosts productivity. Standard magnification is 6X-60X with 1.0X objective. Systems include stand, dust cover, and complete LED lighting array. Equipped with a 360° rotating viewer, unit includes integrated 8-point LED ringlight. www.visioneng.com Visit ept.ca for the latest new products, news and industry events. EPT.CA
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PRODUCT SOURCE GUIDE
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Metal pushbutton switch with
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with optical Trace-In-Air feedback Chip Fuse Thwarts PANEL MOUNT - EPT_MayJune_BlockMasterPS.indd capable of unlimited number of 1actuations 2019-03-18 EPT_Sept_Masterbond.indd 1:36 PM 1 Effects of Aging BEEPERS & BUZZERS - ring or backlit area illumination SCHURTER’s UAI 1206 time-lag chip fuse - single, bicolor or multicolor versions with bright provides reliable and durable overcurrent and consistent luminosity protection - momentary action (N.O. wherever or N.C.), orhigh levels of pulse currents, high thermal fluctuations and high latching action mechanical - rated 100 mA, 42/60 VAC/VDC max., variable loads are present. Offered in two input voltage 5 – 28 VDC - impact resistance IK09, ingress versions protectionwith IP67 rated currents of 5.3 A and 7.5 A at 32 - operating temperature range -20°C - +60°C VDC. Breaking capacity - standard or customer specific legends
The MultiStrip 9480 cut and strip machine is now being offered with SmartDetect for advanced quality monitoring. The sensor-controlled system monitors the complete stripping process and detects any contact between the stripping blades and the conductor, improving production quality without sacrificing high performance.
is 100 A. Designed to UL 248-14 and is AEC-Q200 qualified.
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2019-02-20 EPT_JanFeb_Tusainc.indd 1:19 PM Enterprises 1 2017-12-08 2:07 PM EMX Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Absopulse Electronics Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Advanced Interconnections . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Allied Electronics & Automation . . . . . . OBC BEA Lasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Blockmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Coilcraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 DFI, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Digi-Key Corporation . . . . . . . . . . .OFC, IFC Diverse Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3, 25 Electro Sonic Group Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 EMA Design Automation Inc . . . . . . . . . . 25
Fisher Connectors Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Hammond Mfg Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Interpower Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 LEMO Canada Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Master Bond Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Mouser Electronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC Phoenix Contact Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Protocase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Schleuniger, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22, 25 Schurter Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 25 TDK-Lambda Americas Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .21 Transducers USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Wago Canada Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 September 2019 / EP&T 25
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A Look Back Celebrating four decades of electronics design Marking its 40 th anniversary this year, EP&T will feature this special column throughout 2019, providing readers with a peek at our past, while paying homage to our history.
under licence by Mitsubishi Electric, and from 1999 to 2007 by Jutan (distributed by Canadian distributor Citizen Electronics). The company underwent an orderly wind-up in late 2008. In February 2010, the Electrohome brand was acquired by Bluetronics Group a division of Circus World Displays Limited (CWD). The company began manufacturing and selling television sets in 1949, competing with companies such as Northern Electric and Canadian General Electric for a share of the Canadian market. Electrohome developed its reputation with large
In this issue, A Look Back puts it’s focus on a news item which appeared in EP&T’s September issue in 1979. The story, titled: Electrohome resumes building TV sets, highlighted some encouraging news that one of Canada’s few OEMs involved with the manufacture of television sets was resuming production.
console model TV sets made with real hardwood cases. In the 1960s, Electrohome continued to manufacture consumer products including organs, radios, console stereos, speakers, high fidelity tube amplifiers, and televisions, as it became the first and only Canadian company to make colour television sets. By 1965, Electrohome products were being sold in 23 countries. Total sales in 1968 were $44.5 million. Over the years the company had 10 manufacturing plants and two administrative offices in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.
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The original article stated:
“Consumer 20-inch colour TV sets are now in production once more at the Kitchener Ontario plant of Electrohome Ltd. For the past three years, the company had been assembling 26-inch colour TV consoles from JVC of Japan. JVC will supply tuners and chassis for the 20-inch models now being manufactured by Electrohome. About 50 new jobs should be directly created by this move, claimed Electrohome president JA Pollock, along with perhaps 150 new jobs among Canadian suppliers of picture tubes, cartons and plastic parts. Pollock credited the lower valued Canadian dollar and wide currency rate swings for allowing his firm to get back into TV set manufacturing. He also praised recent federal government measures allowing duty-free import of colour TV chassis and government anti-dumping legislation.”
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Kitchener-based Electrohome produced television sets from 1949 to 1984. Pictured here are two units the firm produced in its heydey in the 1970s.
A Piece of OEM History
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Photo: ElectroHome
Founded in 1907, Electrohome was Canada’s largest manufacturer of TVs from 1949 to 1984. The company was also involved in television broadcasting, and was a leader in data, video, graphics displays and projectors, according to Wikipedia. From 1984 to 1999, Electrohome-branded TVs were produced EPT.CA
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