X-FAB Expands Offering for Silicon-Based Microfluidics
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www.eenewseurope.com June 2020 electronics europe News News X-FAB expands offering for silicon-based microfluidics Executive Interview: Tim Ramsdale CEO of Agile Analog Special Focus: ASICs, FPGAs & Accelerators european business press November 2011 Electronic Engineering Times Europe1 200526_9_Mill_EENE_EU_BRC_Snipe.indd 1 5/26/20 12:25 PM 200526_TCRL_EENE_EU.indd 1 5/26/20 3:52 PM CONTENTS JUNE 2020 Dear readers, www.eenewseurope.com June 2020 On the socially and economically devastating COVID-19 trail, European countries are electronics europe News trying to get their act together, companies share their workaround tips in time of the News coronavirus, alleviating what was initially seen as a huge supply chain disruption for European industries. The June edition of eeNews Europe reflects some of the initiatives taken to tackle X-FAB expands offering for our dependence on China for manufacturing. More resilient product design is an silicon-based microfluidics emerging trend, somehow becoming a necessity for businesses to secure the stability of their operations, and distribution in general has never fared better than during the pandemic. Other topics covered in your June edition include three technology focuses, namely: Sensors & Transducers, LEDs & Display Technologies, and the now Executive Interview: Tim Ramsdale pervasive ASICs, FPGAs and Accelerators, mostly concerned with bringing AI CEO of Agile Analog to the edge. Special Focus: ASICs, FPGAs & Accelerators european business press Julien Happich November Editor in Chief 2011 Electronic Engineering Times Europe 1 200526_9_Mill_EENE_EU_BRC_Snipe.indd 1 5/26/20 12:25 PM 4 - 49: OPINION 30 - 39: ASICS, FPGAS & ACCELERATORS Uncommon Market: Universal processor startup goes for split tape Keeping electronics product Semiconductor startup design on track during Tachyum Inc. will be coronavirus. using a split tape-out strategy for its Prodigy Last Word: processor before the end How to fight a virus: Les- of 2020 in an effort to get sons from cybersecurity samples into customers’ hands early in 2021. 6 - 23: NEWS & TECHNOLOGY 40 - 45: SENSORS & TRANSDUCERS TSMC dragged to the altar of US manufacturing Nano-optomechanical displacement sensor The double-whammy of reaches 45fm resolution enhanced restrictions on Researchers from Huawei and HiSilicon from the Eindhoven University US, plus the announcement of of Technology have TSMC’s plan to build a 5nm wafer fab in Arizona has drastically increased the the feel of stage management about it. resolution of such sys- tems, leveraging a newly designed nano-optome- 24 - 29: LEDS & DISPLAY TECHNOLOGIES chanical system (NOMS) with unprecedented measurement resolution. Lumotive drives competitiveness of lidar sensors into a new dimension 49: DISTRIBUTION CORNER With the presentation of its first commercial solid-state lidar sensors, start-up com- pany Lumotive has further advanced the development of its technology towards economically viable series application in driver assistance systems. www.eenewseurope.com eeNews Europe June 2020 News 3 UNCOMMON MARKET COVID-19 Keeping electronics product design on track during coronavirus By Dunstan Power he COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up a number of chal- pieces of equipment or hardware-related issues that re- lenges for electronics teams, both in-house and within quire test gear. Even here though, with a bit of imagination, design consultancies. While resources for remote working the need for several visits the office can be reduced. For abound,T here we explore how electronics teams rise to the trials example, on one of our projects, the engineers developed of remote working and successfully deliver projects over the a work-around by using Arduinos to cycle power to boards next few months. and web cams to monitor the status of LEDs and displays on the PCBs. This has reduced significantly the number of Establish a framework people in the barebones office. Factors such as CAD tool licenses, ESD protection and test equipment access are just a few factors you need to check, to Ensure software development supported by ensure your electronics product design team can deliver what a secure IT infrastructure customers need on time. A solid IT infrastructure like a secure and good quality VPN needs to be in place. Take easily portable IT equipment home to Determine viability of home working for reduce VPN loading and improve ease of use, rather than Virtual electronics engineers Network Computing (VNC) and a remote desktop. Ensure you You also need to be confident that your electronics design en- have adequate server bandwidth for remote desktops and that gineers are able to continue working on your project from their your engineers are working with (preferably at least two) moni- own homes, so establish tors and are not just huddled over small laptop screens. Think about how your software engineers will communicate 1. If they have access to all the tools necessary for the job with customers. Some projects may have a screen that requires – for example soldering equipment, spectrum analysers, interaction via a mouse or touch inputs and this could be prob- Multimeters, PSUs, oscilloscopes and test equipment. lematic when working from home – particularly if the user can’t 2. How suitable their home working environment is. Electron- access the embedded device screen that they’re working on. ics and firmware engineers typically need more space as There are workarounds though, which allow the user to they will have hardware and test equipment being plugged remotely control a screen. Windows Remote Desktop or VNC into their desktop or laptop PCs. Some of our design con- are two such workarounds as both of those systems comprise sultants have repurposed whole rooms while working from two key components: a server which shares the screen of the their homes and some have considered ergonomics and device, and a viewer which displays the screen received form taken desk chairs home. the server at the remote end. Windows Remote Desktop uses 3. How they can maintain electrical safety, for themselves built in hardware acceleration on PCs and is the quicker of the and others in their household. This is particularly important two when available in a Windows environment. VNC is more when working with any equipment that is mains powered portable and can be used on Linux desktop and embedded or generates high voltages or heat. Prototype devices boards. There are multiple software tools that offer a remote should not be left powered and unattended in a domestic control service that enables users to control the remote device environment, but sometimes this can’t be helped dur- from any modern browser, including mobile devices. Although ing testing, so bear in mind that even the most harmless they are more portable, mobile devices may also need to be in looking board could become a fire hazard if it’s not treated close proximity to the embedded devices in the office, but there appropriately. are free tools such as Genymobile (https://github.com/Genymo- 4. How privacy and security of data will be addressed. Many bile/scrcpy) which enables users to view and control a con- projects mean working with sensitive data and this needs nected Android device. Again, here both your project engineers to be taken care of in the exact same way at home as it and those from your design partners all need to be well-versed would be at work. in your development tools, platforms and IDEs. 5. How products that are under development are being protected, in particular, whether ESD protection is in place. Adapt design tool licenses At ByteSnap we provided all of our engineers working on Remember to check your license servers, as you might need unenclosed PCBs at home with earthing matts. to switch from node-locked licence to a floating one. If you’re 6. Can they have access to a “bare-bones” shared office. sharing software that could previously only be accessed using If they are still able to access their regular place of work, a node-locked device (node locked is where the license of a while maintaining the required social distancing, this can CAD tool, compiler etc only allows the operation on a single be very helpful in sustaining project momentum, but you PC by the use of a MAC address or plug in dongle), that would would expect these visits to be limited to members of the normally be fine in a shared office. design team only who absolutely need to use the work- However, with your electronics design engineers now all place – such as those who are dealing with either large working remotely, you will probably need to check your licence terms and see if you can upgrade to a floating license that can Dunstan Power is Director of ByteSnap Design - be accessed across a VPN. Talk to your licence suppliers as www.bytesnap.com some of them may be offering concessions such as free or re- 4 News June 2020 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com COVID-19 duced rate licence upgrades during the lockdown. For example, waiting for component deliveries. OrCAD are currently providing a 30 day free license to users to Liaise with your suppliers about how they will get any neces- help them work from home (see https://www.orcad.com/orcad- sary parts from you for your development. Will they deliver to work-from-home-program). your barebones office or directly to engineers’ homes? Sort those details out as soon as you can to avoid vital components Factor in supply chain disruption going astray, which will only add costly delays to projects. Given the disruption to various industry supply chains globally, you may need to build extra time into your project, for delays Keep in touch with regular communications around sourcing and shipping of parts/modules/components. We’ve found it very helpful to stick to regular, scheduled com- Schedule kitting of parts early on in a design process, as munications, both company-wide and project-specific.