At CES 2018, Qualcomm Incorporated announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., introduced the new Qualcomm Low Power Bluetooth SoC QCC5100 series that is designed to help manufacturers develop a new generation of compact, feature-rich, wireless earbuds, hearables, and headsets. To help meet consumer demand for superior audio quality as well as extended battery […]
Microcontroller Tips
Low-power MCUs include integrated BLE features
Ambiq Micro announced the release of its Apollo Blue microcontroller family. This new product line integrates Bluetooth 5 low energy radio connectivity with Ambiq Micro’s patented Subthreshold Power Optimized Technology (SPOT) architecture. Apollo Blue microcontrollers integrate an energy-efficient Bluetooth 5 low energy radio combined with improved communication features to enable always-connected, ultra-low power designs. The Apollo Blue family of products […]
Multi-level thick IMD Process makes possible on-chip capacitors with ultra-high breakdown voltage
Demand for digital isolators is growing for noise-immune electronics products commonly found in electric vehicles and in industrial, communications and healthcare applications as a substitute for conventional optocouplers. Digital isolators demonstrate superior performance and reliability and can achieve higher levels of integration at lower cost, as compared to optocouplers. Industry analyst expects the worldwide digital […]
Audio reference platform works with Alexa Voice Service
Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd. today announced that the Qualcomm Smart Audio Platform has been qualified by Amazon for the Alexa Voice Service (AVS). This leading-edge reference platform incorporates the hardware and software building-blocks required to facilitate rapid commercialization of smart speaker and networked audio solutions, and it is the first announced fully end-to-end audio processing and system […]
High-accuracy three-axis magnetometer features low RMS noise and current consumption
A highly accurate three-axis magnetometer combines an extremely sensitive tunnel magneto-resistive (TMR) element developed by TDK and an advanced electronic compass ASIC designed by AKM in a small package. The new TMR magnetometer on a chip, which has miniature dimensions of just 1.6×1.6×0.6 mm, features the industry’s lowest RMS noise of just 40 nT-rms and […]
801.11ax products maximize output power of in-home Wi-Fi signals efficiency, lower power consumption.
Qorvo is enabling the expansion of distributed Wi-Fi solutions in the home through a portfolio of 802.11ax products that improves Wi-Fi coverage, enables smaller devices and reduces costs. These products include Wi-Fi front-end modules, Wi-Fi BAW 2.4GHz bandedge and LTE coexistence filters, and Wi-Fi integrated front end modules (iFEMs). “In the last year, we have seen […]
New 3D image sensor enables easy smartphone unlock by face recognition
A new 3D image sensor in the REAL3 chip family, based on Time-of-Flight (ToF) technology, makes possible the world’s smallest camera module for integration in smartphones with a footprint of less than 12 x 8 mm, including the receiving optics and VCSEL (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser) illumination. Compared to other 3D sensor principles, such as stereoscopic […]
Scalable image-sensor platform for ADAS and autonomous driving aims to speed design, implementation
A scalable family of CMOS image sensors address the spectrum of applications for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. Developed by ON Semiconductor, the sensor family offers car makers and tier-one suppliers a choice of imaging devices based on a common platform and feature set. The sensors have resolutions scaling from 8.3 megapixels […]
Teardown: Inside Amazon’s Echo Dot
The Amazon Echo Dot is essentially the top portion of the Amazon Echo, but without the speaker underneath it. Eliminating the big speaker drops the price of the from $180 for the Echo to $50 for the Echo Dot. The Echo Dot does have its own speaker, but the speaker is comparable to what you […]
End-to-end sub-1 GHz kit brings easy cloud connectivity
The element14 development kit for the TI SimpleLink Sub-1 GHz Sensor to Cloud Linux Gateway is based on technology from Texas Instruments (TI). The kit provides an end-to-end tool to enable a Sub-1 GHz sensor network with an Internet of Things (IoT) gateway and cloud connectivity. “Sub-1 GHz offers low-power and long-range wireless connectivity, but […]