SPECIAL FEATURES Tools & Software Embedded Trends

COVER STORY Cybersecurity: the challenge of protecting critical assets

CONTENT

Tools & Software Cybersecurity: the challenge of protecting critical assets 34 Embedded system access – changing the paradigm of electrical test 37 System suppliers keep a watchful eye on signal integrity 40 Embedded Trends Cheap, fast and low power 43 Automotive electronics trends 43 Trends on the horizon 44 The future of microcontrollers 45 Industrial motor control demands precision speed and isolation 46 Model-based design keeps the entire system in focus 47 Instrumentation revisited 48 United hard- and software development 49 Product News 50

COVER STORY Cybersecurity: the challenge of protecting critical assets

SPECIAL FEATURES Tools & Software Embedded Trends

Cover Photo Wind River

3 December 2012 TOOLS & SOFTWARE

Cybersecurity: the challenge of protecting critical assets

This article is presented by Wind River

As more and more devices connect to the Internet, the risk of security threats increases exponentially. As a result, security is now a fundamental concern for embedded systems, and extensive media coverage of threats such as Stuxnet-like worms has only heightened the sense of urgency. To address this need, Wind River has developed the strategies and tools necessary to implement an effective approach to embedded security.

These threats have demonstrated the huge fication, can be utilized to manage the risk. A ready occurred. But choosing the appropriate impact that can result for compromised sys- broad range of tools and methodologies exists combination of tools and the correct method- tems. The consequences of similar attacks on to support standards-based approaches to in- ology can become extremely complex without critical infrastructure could be devastating - creasing the security of an embedded device. a structured approach. A step-by-step process and in the case of safety-critical systems, life Alone, these technologies and processes can is most likely to lead to a successful layered se- threatening. The reputation of an organization rarely provide adequate security for an embed- curity protection scheme in the product, and and brand can also suffer from a successful at- ded platform, but the creation of a layered se- Wind River has the tools to help at every step. tack, as evidenced by recent cases in the media. curity architecture comprised of these solutions When devices malfunction or sensitive infor- can build a security strategy of significant depth The challenges in creating a secure embedded mation is stolen, the effect on the public trust to harden devices against security attacks. platform are different from enterprise security. is extremely damaging. Effective countermea- An embedded device does not have the inherent sures must be implemented to prevent systems Truly effective security must be designed into protection of layered systems, such as dedicated from being compromised and sensitive infor- a device as a core requirement. Just as quality firewalls and security devices, that are prevalent mation from being stolen in a coordinated in- cannot be tested into a device, security re- in traditional IT enterprise systems. Embedded dustrial espionage attack. To address this need, quirements must be included as part of the devices are often deployed in remote and inac- Wind River has developed the strategies and device development process before it is released cessible areas, such as power control stations, tools necessary to implement an effective ap- - but this is not always possible for devices in oil pipelines, or hostile environments. There- proach to embedded security. With more than an existing infrastructure. Some security-hard- fore, it is necessary to implement greater device 30 years of experience in the development ening techniques address the retrofit use case intelligence to be able to react against external and certification of safe and secure solutions that is applied to a device that has been de- threats in an appropriate manner. An embed- for critical infrastructure, our team understands ployed. This is suboptimal but may be adequate ded device may have fewer resources available the security challenges of embedded devices in controlled environments. than a traditional IT enterprise system, making and has proven strategies to improve security it difficult or even impossible to use traditional in a broad range of deployment scenarios. Designing in security is more likely to be suc- protection solutions such as antivirus protec- cessful and less expensive in both the short and tion. The desired level of protection must be Today, there is a growing trend toward the long term. For example, installing an antivirus balanced against what is attainable within the adoption of internationally recognized security tool in a running device can be effective only if constraints of the device to achieve an appro- standards. Proven standards, such as the Com- regular updates and system scans are planned priate degree of security as well as device per- mon Criteria for the evaluation of systems, IEC along with the installation. Conscientiously an- formance. An embedded device in critical in- 62351 for secure implementation of substation alyzing the security threat landscape at the be- frastructure has very clear uptime requirements. automation communication, and system ro- ginning of the project is always more efficient Bringing it down can cause protective functions bustness testing from Wurldtech Achilles certi- than trying to recover from damage that has al- to fail or critical processes to run into a dan-

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must be designed using an appropriate architecture sufficiently robust to counter all of the identified threats. A good design will ensure that the following key objectives are achieved: Identify known and consolidated software techniques to mitigate the threats identified in the assessment step. Avoid all the common programming mistakes that can introduce vulnerabilities and provide a hook for attackers. A trivial but dangerous example is copying data from one place to another without ensuring there is enough space in memory. A list of programming guidelines should be produced for developers to follow. These guidelines can also build a base for application testing. Depending on the threat environment, determine whether a secure boot scheme is required, as well as a secure management framework to enable secure updates to the system. Identify subsystems of the software architecture that differ in criticality Run-time test coverage reduces the risk of untested changes slipping through based on their confidentiality, robustness, and life cycle requirements. Separation of these dif- gerous state. An IT system with an antivirus questions: What are my security requirements ferent levels of criticality can be required with- or white-listing function may prevent leaking and goals? What am I trying to protect - device out adding to the hardware costs. data, but this method may turn out to be functionalities (uptime, quality of service) or lethal on a critical device. Security is a dynamic information (data in motion, data at rest)? Am 3. Run-Time Selection: Once the software ar- process. Every day hundreds of new threats I concerned about intellectual property protec- chitecture is defined, the next step is to select are discovered, so it is crucial to have a security tion (tampering)? What impact would the iden- the appropriate runtime system. In addition architecture that can respond to new threats tified security threats have? What possible flaws to security requirements, there may be per- with agility. The security design process can are already present in the product’s design? formance and safety certification requirements be outlined in five key steps. Are there mitigations that could already be ap- that will be determining factors in the selection. plied, depending on the device use case? Are If a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product 1. Threat Assessment: Security, as with safety, there secure coding standards available that is selected, the vendor can usually offer assis- depends on following a disciplined process help to reduce the introduction of vulnerabilities tance and support in responding to newly throughout the development life cycle. At the during implementation? Does the device need identified threats, reducing the burden on the beginning of the project, it is important to un- to comply with security certification standards device manufacturer. In addition, partitioning derstand the fundamental risk management such as Common Criteria and IEC 62351 or can increase security by isolating applications issues such as the purpose of the device or undergo Wurldtech Achilles certification? and offering multi-OS capabilities. asset, the value of the asset, its deployment environment, and the likely attack vectors to 2. Software Architecture and Design: Once the The run-time system should also provide a ro- which it will be exposed. A good threat assess- threat assessment has taken place and the re- bust middleware foundation that allows trusted ment will provide answers to the following quirements have been gathered, the system connectivity. This foundation can include func- TOOLS & SOFTWARE

tions for authorization, authentication, and to ensure that the software will handle these time offerings include VxWorks-based solutions auditing. Depending on potential compliance anomalous conditions without causing degra- for various markets and requirements, as well requirements, Secure Socket Layer (SSL), fire- dation in device performance. as security enhanced run-time systems based walls, and cryptographic libraries may be need- on open source technology, such as SE Linux ed to secure the communication. If the vendor 5. Future Security Management: The system and SE Android. These capabilities are com- has successfully undertaken security certifica- must be designed to be able to deal with not plemented by a safe and secure partitioning tions of internationally recognized standards, only current known threats but also future platform that helps to mix and manage differ- it can gain more confidence in its secure design ones. From a practical standpoint, this means ent levels of criticality and operating environ- life cycle processes. Finally, a long-term support designing a system with a secure management ments without additional hardware cost. In plan for the run-time, including security main- framework so that updates to the device soft- addition, we provide dedicated guides that en- tenance, is a simple way for a COTS vendor to ware can be deployed using a secure delivery able customers to configure our operating sys- plan the device life and ensure it will not be process in a timely manner. This device man- tems and the associated middleware to mini- left without protection once deployed. agement framework should also prevent any mize the risk of exposing the system to threats. possibility of malicious software being deployed 4. Application Protection: The core of an em- to the device. Consolidated techniques such as All customers benefit from our Security Vul- bedded system is the differentiating application. digital signatures can be used to verify that a nerability Response Policy, which defines the Since the application is on the front line, it payload update is genuine. The framework internal process used by our dedicated security must implement protection - running an inse- should also be capable of reporting alerts team for proactively monitoring security threats cure application on a secure system does not whenever a suspicious action is attempted or that may affect our products. Threats are con- make any sense. Legacy designs should be re- performed on the device. tinually assessed to determine if they impact viewed and modified where necessary to take our products; if they are found to do so, a full advantage of the protection scheme. Ex- Wind River offers a complete end-to-end patch is published and posted on the support tensive testing should be performed at both framework to protect embedded devices against website. During the development phase, we the unit and integration levels to provide as- malicious intents; we also work with our cus- offer a number of tools that are able to detect surance that the device can be deployed with tomers to address their requirements for asset vulnerabilities, including Wind River Test Man- no known vulnerabilities left open. protection, confidentiality, and continuous agement. Test Management identifies non-exe- risk mitigation for development and deploy- cuted or non-tested code, exposing potentially Testing the application against the most com- ment scenarios. At every step in the security insecure parts of the application, and can be mon threats ensures that nothing has been planning process, Wind River has the tools extended to perform white-hat attacks and left behind, and a good testing scheme will and solutions to help. In the threat assessment fuzz testing using proven technology. Finally, also check against all the common program- phase, we provide dedicated training, security Wind River Professional Services can assist ming errors that can leave the door open to architecture studies, and consultancy for spe- with the implementation or integration of a malicious attacks: “Fuzz testing” uses out-of- cific security regulations on existing projects secure system management framework to allow spec parameters such as huge data flows to or on new designs. Wind River also offers a trusted delivery of updated firmware and ap- test against denial of service (DOS) attacks, range of run-time solutions to address the re- plication code as well as the integration of malformed Internet addresses, and out-of- quirements of different vertical markets, in- third-party products, such as intrusion detection boundary data to prevent malicious code including certification to internationally recog- systems or white-listing frameworks, to increase jection, and so on. It is extremely important nized safety and security standards. The run- the robustness of the deployed device.

Product News

SEGGER: free SWO monitor for J-Link significantly reduce a manufacturer’s devel- bined with the existing rich set of standard SEGGER introduces SWOViewer – a new, free- opment time. APIs for OSEK and POSIX – provides auto- of charge utility for debug emulator J-Link. News ID 16141 mobile manufacturers a clear path to address This utility displays the terminal output of the the growing dilemma of ECU complexity target using the SWO pin. SWOViewer can be MathWorks updates Stateflow to facing vehicles today. used without a debugger to capture terminal simplify control logic design in Simulink News ID 16331 output independently from the debugger. Ad- MathWorks announces a new version of State- ditionally, it can be run side by side with a de- flow in R2012b that simplifies control logic Express Logic: ThreadX RTOS supports bugger which does not support terminal output design. A new Stateflow Editor, state transition Critical Link’s MityDSP-L138F board via SWO, such as GDB or GDB/Eclipse. tables, and MATLAB as an action language, Express Logic’s ThreadX RTOS now supports News ID 16247 help engineers build applications like supervi- Critical Link’s MityDSP-L138 board. Critical sory control, task scheduling, and fault man- Link’s MityDSP-L138F system-on-module Wind River introduces software platform agement more efficiently. combines a TI C674x floating point DSP, an for ‘Internet of Things’ News ID 16332 ARM9 processor, and an optional FPGA. Wind River introduces Wind River Intelligent ThreadX is the first and only RTOS that runs Device Platform, a complete software devel- Green Hills adds AUTOSAR support to on both the MityDSP’s ARM9 and the TI opment environment built exclusively for M2M INTEGRITY RTOS C674x. This gives developers the unique op- applications. The platform addresses the se- Green Hills Software announces the availability portunity to migrate applications from one curity, connectivity, and manageability required of an AUTOSAR compatible API for its IN- processor to the other as needed without for M2M device development. It provides pre- TEGRITY real-time operating system. The changing application code. integrated off-the-shelf components that can availability of the new AUTOSAR API com- News ID 16262

December 2012 6 TOOLS & SOFTWARE

Embedded system access – changing the paradigm of electrical test

By Thomas Wenzel and Heiko Ehrenberg, Göpel electronic

This article shows how the trend of employing non-invasive test access strategies, initiated in 1990 with the ratification of IEEE Standard 1149.1, has spawned a number of new test technologies and methodologies, which have combined to give birth to the category of embedded system access techniques. Figure 1. Control of ESA applications through external hardware and software

The test of electronic circuits has been a key While boards look more like integrated circuits components individually, however, the required topic in the industry since the first transistor (IC) due to the loss of access to internal circuit bed-of-nail based invasive test access is be- was developed, and today it is as relevant as nodes, the rapid development of three-dimen- coming a big dilemma with modern boards. ever. Test strategies are graded by how close sional (3D) ICs with multi-die integration re- Test access problems were predictable, which they come to the ideal test solution which sults in structures that are similar to boards resulted in the creation of IEEE Standard doesn’t add any cost to the product under test, and systems. The 3D board with very little 1149.1 in 1990. Developed by the Joint Test neither during the design nor during produc- physical access seems to be looming on the Action Group (JTAG), this standard moves tion. Most of us agree that product testing is horizon. At the same time, the combination the so-called pin-electronics of a tester into absolutely necessary, as part of design validation, of new packaging and integration technologies the unit under test (UUT) in order to enable as a quality indicator for manufacturing process results in hitherto unaccustomed complexity. non-invasive test access without bed-of-nail control, or for the detection of defective prod- While several years ago multiple boards were adapters. This design-integrated pin-electronics ucts prior to shipping to a customer. However, necessary to create complete system designs, is controlled through the JTAG test bus. This we do have certain requirements that should today some such systems can be realized in in- test bus needs to be incorporated into the unit be met by our test solutions: test development tegrated circuits as System-on-Chip (SoC) or under test by the board designer, providing and execution should be fully automated and System-In-Package (SIP) designs. As a result, test access available implicitly rather than being should be done in essentially no time, we want board size can be minimized and new possi- an afterthought. the test equipment to be very inexpensive, and bilities are available to create super-complex we want fault coverage of 100%. systems. No matter how a design is arranged, The brilliance of IEEE Standard 1149.1 is the however, from the perspective of test engi- open expandability of its register architecture Industry trends give cause for concern, though, neering the fundamental question is how such combined with the universal test bus interface considering that the cost of test today can be a highly complex systems can be tested appro- (test access port, TAP) and its protocol defini- significant part of the overall development priately and efficiently and how one can take tion. These properties allowed IEEE Standard and manufacturing cost. Responsible for this advantage of synergies between chip test and 1149.1 to become the base technology for new development are primarily the complexity, board test approaches. non-intrusive methodologies and standards high-speed designs, and the lack of available for testing, debugging, programming, and em- test access in many printed circuit board as- Divide and conquer is a wise strategy that is ulation. As a result, the portfolio of test access semblies (PCBAs), or boards for short. The also well suited for the test arena. Partitioning strategies at the board level has definitively combined forces of these characteristics result circuit structures into testable elements is a changed. Today we can differentiate three prin- in systematic changes in the balance of product prerequisite for a successful test strategy. This cipal classes of access strategies: native con- design and product test. We start to see a cor- is one of the reasons why in-circuit test (ICT) nector access (access through design-integrated relation between problems seen in chip test became so successful for board level tests. ICT I/O interfaces), intrusive board access (access and those seen in board test. approached circuit test structurally and tests through physical test nails and probes), and

7 December 2012 TOOLS & SOFTWARE

complementary character of the various technologies and, as the following discussion will further explain, it becomes clear how important it is for ATE platforms to support all these ESA technologies alike.

Boundary-scan utilizes so-named boundary- scan cells, combined into a boundary-scan register, as primary access points for a target system circuit nodes. The boundary-scan register is accessed and controlled through the test access port (TAP). All vectors are scanned serially. The test bus is comprised of four mandatory signals and a fifth optional reset signal. Boundary-scan is a structural methodology and provides excellent fault diagnostics, especially for connectivity tests on BGA devices, Figure 2. Classification of electrical test access strategies at board level for example. However, since boundary-scan tests are static in nature, dynamic defects embedded system access (access through de- non-invasive access technologies, including: usually cannot be detected, let alone be diag- sign-integrated test bus). While these classes boundary-scan test (IEEE Std 1149.1/.4/.6/.7), nosed. In addition to IEEE Standard 1149.1, are not mutually exclusive in their practical processor-emulation test (PET), chip-embed- various related standards have been created or utilization, the applicability of an actual com- ded instrumentation (IJTAG, IEEE P1687), in- are in development. bination of these access strategies depends on system programming (ISP), core-assisted pro- the individual capabilities of the chosen auto- gramming (CAP), FPGA-assisted Test (FAT), Processor emulation test (PET) utilizes the mated test equipment (ATE) platform. So, FPGA-assisted programming (FAP), and system debug interface (implemented in many micro- how do these access strategies relate to each JTAG (SJTAG) just to name a few. In addition, processors for software validation) to transform other and what does embedded system access there are a number of other technologies and the processor core temporarily into a native (ESA) mean practically? standards, such as the so-named on-chip em- test controller. The processor and its system ulation (OCE) for software validation. bus interface become the pin-electronics used A look at the qualitative development of trends as access points for the connected circuitry in for the various access strategies reveals inter- The electrical access embedded in the target the target systems. Remote-controlled through esting facts, including the long adoption period system allows embedded system access to work the JTAG interface or some other debug inter- of IEEE Standard 1149.1 as the first represen- without invasive test nails and probes. In prin- face, the processor core utilizes write and read tative for embedded system access. Only re- ciple, every ESA technology utilizes a task-spe- access to the system bus with respective test cently, in 2008, has the boundary-scan industry cific pin-electronic which is controlled by the vectors in order to manipulate and test the reached annual sales of around 29 million US test bus and, as a result, can directly execute connected internal and external resources and dollars, while sales of intrusive ATE were in test functions and programming routines in components. No operating system or flash the range of 500 million US dollars. On the the target system. This target system can be an firmware is necessary to accomplish this. PET other hand, we now see the manifestation of a individual chip, a board, or a complete system can detect both static and dynamic defects, rapid transition from intrusive access strategies assembly; embedded system access can be uti- however diagnostics are limited due to the to embedded system access. The accelerated lized throughout the entire product life cycle. functional test approach. PET complements adoption of embedded system access in the A detailed analysis of key ESA technologies at boundary scan very well and enables or im- market is primarily owed to the fact that it is the board level reveals considerable differences proves especially the test of dynamic compo- now a class by itself comprising a variety of in operation and goals. Table 1 reflects the nents such as DDR-SDRAM, Gigabit interfaces, and other non-scannable components at chip, board, and system level. One of the various solutions available for processor emulation test is the VarioTAP technology.

Chip-embedded Instruments are test and measurement intellectual property (IP) blocks integrated into ICs, often accessible through the JTAG port. The functionality of chip-embedded instruments is completely open and ranges from simple sensors, over complex signal processing and data collection, and all the way to complete analysis instruments and programming engines. The IP is either integrated per- manently in the chip (hard macro), or it can be temporarily instantiated and configured (soft macro) in field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA). As a result, the pin-electronics are Table 1. Comparing ESA technologies relevant to board level test unrestricted in principle and can provide a

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discrete flash device or devices. Furthermore, it is possible to load only the flash handler/programming engine via JTAG into the processor and to download the flash data image through a high-speed communication interface on the processor CAP technology, such as VarioTAP, providing much higher in-system programming speed than boundary-scan based device programming.

One of the most interesting technologies for flash ISP, referred to as FPGA-assisted programming (FAP), is based on FPGA-embedded in- Figure 3. Principle of processor emulation test struments. The embedded instrument in this (PET) case is a programming engine (programmer) soft macro, typically provided by a tool vendor wide variety of functionality, within the frame and temporarily downloaded into the FPGA. and scope of the respective technology of the Depending on the architecture of the program- host device, of course. Also noteworthy is the mer IP and the performance of the external con- fact that such chip-embedded instruments can trol system, drastic improvements in program- in principle be active during normal system op- ming speed compared to boundary-scan based eration, which enables interesting test and debug ISP are possible. Meanwhile even universal, syn- applications. FPGA-embedded instruments in thesis free solutions exist for FAP, such as those particular have enjoyed strong interest recently. provided by ChipVORX. By enabling strategies such as FPGA-assisted test (FAT) and FPGA-assisted programming The last access technology in this discussion is (FAP) they provide enormous flexibility for referred to as system level JTAG. While remote adaptation to individual test and measurement control through an external controller is possible, requirements. Chip-embedded instruments have this technique typically employs a central test been utilized for years in chip test, for example control unit integrated directly into the system in form of built-in self-test (BIST) IP. However, design. Test vectors are usually stored locally on access to these instruments has not been stan- the system and a separate IC is commonly used dardized in the past, something that will be as the test bus controller (although there is also changed with the new IEEE P1687 (also known the possibility to integrate the test bus controller as IJTAG). One of the leading system technologies function in an IC that also performs other func- for the holistic support of chip-embedded in- tions in the system design). As the name implies, struments is known as ChipVORX. The impor- this method can be employed not only for indi- tant area of device programming, too, benefits vidual boards but also for systems comprising from a number of different ESA technologies. multiple boards and modules. By utilizing primarily the same infrastructure as the previously discussed test solutions, a high The transition from traditional invasive test degree of synergy between test and programming access and techniques to embedded system access applications can be obtained. is not a marginal change in the handling of test and programming vectors but rather a funda- In-system-programming (ISP) is a collective mental technological metamorphosis. Charac- term for the programming of flash devices via teristics of these changes include: integration of boundary-scan and for the programming of test electronics in the system under test, inseparable PLD/FPGA devices through their test access coupling of functional and test circuitry in the port (TAP) and built-in programming registers, system design, forming of partitioned test centres while the devices are mounted on the printed with various features, significantly wider range of circuit board. For in-system programming of test and programming strategies, possible utiliza- PLD/FGPA, special standards exist, such as IEEE tion throughout the entire product life cycle, flex- Std 1532, JESD-71, and an industrial standard ibility of reconfigurable pin-electronics with called serial vector format (SVF). FPGAs, and availability of completely new instrumentation platforms. In practice, embedded sys- The premise of the core-assisted programming tem access represents in principle a transformation (CAP) strategy is similar to processor emulation from a purely functional design into a functional test. The processor is controlled through its native design with integrated test capabilities, a combi- debug interface in a way that allows flash or nation of unit under test and tester, so to speak. FPGA (design permitting) connected to the sys- Depending on the actual implementation of em- tem bus to be erased, programmed, and verified. bedded system access, a wide variety of applica- In the case of flash it does not matter whether it tions is possible. Currently, FPGA-based test in is integrated in the processor/microcontroller particular is a technology driver for progressively unit (on-chip flash) or connected as an external, more complex test and measurement functions.

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directly inside the circuitry, avoiding artificial This last requirement leads directly to another interference and distortion caused by mechan- important topic: the combination of embedded ical probes, cables, and additional electrical system access with other access technologies, loads, for example. With ESA the test and such as invasive board access (IBA) and native measurement results are not only more accurate connector access (NCA), allowing embedded but also more reproducible. Of course, for an system access to be migrated into already ex- efficient application of ESA techniques respec- isting test systems. In order to support this tive external instrumentation is needed. level of interactivity, ESA test equipment needs to provide very good integration features and So far we have primarily talked about the must be available for all important integration JTAG interface as the test bus. However, there platforms. Functional test in particular will are also a number of proprietary bus interfaces play an important role, considering the con- used in the industry, in particular for debug tinued rise of very powerful and open test and interfaces on processors, such as serial wire measurement platforms (such as PXI). debug (SWD), spy-bi-wire (SBW), or background debug mode (BDM). For ATE vendors In the end, the transition to embedded system this means that their test bus controllers need access with all its facets requires a completely Figure 4. Transformation caused by embed- to provide the required flexibility to support new class of JTAG/boundary-scan instrumen- ded system access any of such interfaces; even a mix of different tation, putting enormous pressure on ATE test bus interfaces in multi-processor applica- vendors. First solutions are available in form This includes applications such as: voltage tions should be supported. Furthermore, the of multi-dimensional JTAG/boundary-scan measurements, frequency measurements, tem- various ESA technologies must be supported platforms. The term multi-dimensional reflects perature measurements, bit error rate tests by powerful software tools and must be made the support of the various dimensions and (BERT) for high-speed signals, event counters, available to the user in intuitive graphical user complexities of parameters, structures, func- logic scopes, and many more. As a result, ex- interfaces. In this context we need to consider tions, interactions, applications, and access tensive design validation is possible in the lab not only the independent use of individual technologies that come with embedded system or even at the designer’s desk through one cen- ESA methods, but also the potentially interac- access. One of the first multi-dimensional tral communications and control channel. One tive application of various ESA technologies JTAG/boundary-scan instrumentation plat- big advantage of this methodology is that sig- in order to gain extra benefits (such as im- forms is based on Scanflex hardware and nals are accessible and measurements are taken proved fault coverage, for example). System Cascon software. System suppliers keep a watchful eye on signal integrity

By Tim Caffee, Asset InterTech

As system suppliers concentrate greater maintain it. In the final analysis, if system sup- scrutiny on the integrity of signals on pliers want to optimize system performance high-speed buses, the limitations of they must come to terms with validating signal the instruments used to measure it, integrity at every phase of the life cycle, begin- oscilloscopes and logic analyzers, come to ning with design, moving into production, and light. Fortunately the versatility, agility and continuing to field service. precision of embedded instrumentation are providing viable solutions for the vali- For many years, engineers have relied on eye dation of high-speed embedded systems. diagrams to give them a snapshot of signal integrity on high-speed buses. Unfortunately, Even the fastest, most advanced processors the higher transfer rates on each successive and other types of devices are no guarantee of generation of high-speed buses nowadays such high-performing systems. System throughput as PCI Express I/II/III, the DDR1/2/3 memory can grind to unacceptably low levels when bus, Serial ATA I/II/III, USB 1/2/3, Intel Quick- high-speed chip-to-chip, input/output (I/O) Path Interconnect (Intel QPI) and others are and memory buses begin to choke because of busbus sspeedpeed isis inverselyinversely rrelatedelated ttoo tthehe eeasease wwithith causing eye diagrams to shrink, indicating a poor signal integrity. And don’t think that sim- which a bus can be coaxed into operating at its reduced margin for error for the signaling. ply deploying the fastest possible buses will full potential. The higher the theoretical bus This, in turn, has a direct effect on bus through- eliminate the problem. All too often, theoretical speed, the harder it is to achieve that speed and put, since slimmer operating margins, by defi-

December 2012 10 TOOLS & SOFTWARE

to achieve a transfer speed of eight GT/s, the eye width has shrunk to 125 ps for a 25 percent reduction in operating margins. Lastly, the third generation of the bus increases its signal frequency again to achieve a 10 GT/s transfer rate. At this speed, the width of the eye diagram is reduced again to around 100 ps for another 20 percent reduction. While these two reduc- tions in eye size may seem incremental, the total erosion of operating margins in the space of three generations of bus technology – prob- ably over the course of two to five years – Figure 1. The eye diagram closes with each comes to a very significant 40 percent, or successive generation of a high-speed bus. almost half of the operating margin.

In addition to timing anomalies, other factors can disrupt signal integrity, such as jitter or noise on the line, the attenuation of the voltage levels between transmitters and receivers, as well as variations in manufacturing processes at both the chip and circuit board levels. More- over, on-board variations in voltage regulation and fluctuations in system-level operating tem- peratures can have profound effects on signal integrity. Figure 2. The screen capture shows an eye At a time when system suppliers are concen- diagram generated from instrumentation embedded in silicon. trating greater scrutiny on the integrity of signals on high-speed buses, the limitations of nition, lead to more errors, which slows bus the very instruments that have historically traffic. Exacerbating the problem is the question measured that signal integrity – the oscillo- of the adequacy – or inadequacy – of the in- scopes and logic analyzers – have come to struments that typically generate the eye dia- light. The same factor that raised signal integrity grams, such as oscilloscopes, and the equipment as a critical issue – constantly increasing de- that tests circuit boards in production, like in- mands for higher system throughput – is caus- circuit test (ICT) systems. ing problems for measurements generated by probe-based instruments like oscilloscopes in To illustrate the problem of closing eye dia- design and field services, as well as ICT systems, grams, consider three generations of a hypo- flying probe testers and manufacturing defect thetical high-speed bus whose theoretical trans- analyzers in manufacturing. fer rate increases from six to eight and eventu- ally to ten gigatransfers per second (GT/s). The problems stem from the capacitive cou- Figure 1 superimposes the eye diagram for pling effects probes have on very sensitive each transfer rate on the same eye diagram. As high-speed buses with smaller and smaller op- the frequency of the signaling increases to erating margins. Probing a bus will introduce achieve a higher transfer rate, the eye diagram distortions into the signal. In fact, placing a becomes smaller, indicating smaller acceptable test pad on a bus to provide access to a probe operating margins in terms of voltage and will also cause anomalies. As a result, nowadays timing. Less room for error means that bus best design practices typically prohibit test performance can be adversely affected to a pads on these sensitive buses. That would rule greater degree by smaller amounts of jitter, at- out validation with a probe-based instrument, tenuation in signaling voltage levels and varia- but even when probe access is available, only tions in the manufacturing process. In other expensive, high-end scopes capable of higher words, fewer or smaller anomalies can cause order mathematics are able to measure signal more distortion in the signaling, which de- integrity because these scopes must be able to grades bus performance. recover or de-embed the unadulterated signal from the observed signal, because the signal A closer look at timing issues demonstrates observed by the scope will include the distor- this point. At six GT/s, the first-generation of tions introduced by the probe itself. this bus has a fairly wide open eye diagram across the X axis where timing is plotted. The Fortunately there is a more economical and width of the eye measures is approximately straightforward way to generate empirical 166 picoseconds (ps). In the next generation signal integrity data. Various validation, test of the bus, where the frequency has increased and debug instruments are now being embed-

11 December 2012 TOOLS & SOFTWARE

ded into silicon. Some can observe the integrity though the requirements of a particular phase ently of this board bring-up process. of bus signaling as well as perform other test will dictate the kind of validation routines per- functions. This embedded instrumentation is formed at that point, the common denominator During manufacturing, buses must be validated typically accessed by way of standard tech- for each type of validation is quickly becoming to ensure that variations in manufacturing nologies, such as the IEEE 1149.1 boundary- non-intrusive embedded instrumentation. processes have not degraded bus performance. scan (JTAG) test access port (TAP) which is Here, because test times must be short so that present on practically all processors and many For example, during the design phase when the beat rate of the production line will be other types of devices. JTAG provides access first prototypes of circuit boards have been as- maintained, a simple four-point margin test is to an external software-based platform that sembled, bus performance must be validated sufficient to ensure the buses are operating ef- can manage the embedded instruments in the to ensure the design meets the performance fectively and at maximum speed. And finally, system as well as compile and analyze their requirements of its specification. This will ne- with systems in the field, validation will be a test and measurement results. cessitate tests from many different perspectives key diagnostic tool for identifying the root and the collection of a significant amount of causes of poor system throughput. At this Given the critical nature of bus performance data to ensure that the prototypes perform to point in the life cycle, the time it takes a test to as it relates to system throughput, validating the design specs before it is released to pro- execute will not be as critical as determining the signal integrity of high-speed buses during duction. Unlike functional test methods, em- the root causes of faults and failures, and iden- all phases of a system life cycle is rapidly be- bedded instruments can validate the high- tifying an efficient way to correct problems. coming a requirement, although different types speed buses of a design before the integration Moreover, the particular troubleshooting al- of validation tests are deployed during each of of firmware or an operating system. As a result, gorithms employed will be driven by the char- the different phases of the life cycle. Even software development can continue independ- acteristics of the failure. Product News

Rohde & Schwarz: high-end signal and Green Hills: tools for AppliedMicro’s new PragmaDev: latest version of ITU-T SDL spectrum analyzer for microwave range gen PacketPro2 processors standard to support C language Rohde & Schwarz now offers a new R&S FSW Green Hills announced its collaboration with The International Telecommunication Union signal and spectrum analyzer model for mi- AppliedMicro for the development of solutions has officially standardized the support of crowave applications up to 43.5 GHz. Har- for AppliedMicro’s PacketPro2 family of single the C language as a possible action language monic mixers from Rohde & Schwarz extend and multicore secure processors for enterprise in SDL (Specification and Description Lan- the frequency range to 110 GHz. Developers networking, control plane and industrial ap- guage).This initiative started by PragmaDev of wireless, radar and satellite applications plications. Green Hills Software’s MULTI mul- a decade ago has reached its conclusion the will appreciate the outstanding RF performance ticore debugger, optimising compiler, and 16th of October 2012 when Appendix C of of the R&S FSW43. processor probes will target the Keelback and the Z.104 that describes the data types and News ID 16370 Black Mamba PacketPro2 processors. action language of SDL modeling language News ID 16116 has been adopted. PragmaDev team is very Wurldtech: robustness testing at all proud that its initiative around SDL-RT stages of product development lifecycle PolyCore: Poly-Platform 2.0 now started in 2001 has finally turned out in a Wurldtech Security released its Achilles Test available for TI TMS320C6678 standardized extension of the language. The Software, the software version of its Achilles PolyCore Software announced that Version SDL language (Specification and Description Test Platform, extending its Achilles Test family 2.0 of its Poly-Platform multicore software Language) has been re-organized since its of cyber security testing products to develop- platform is available for Texas Instruments’ 2010 version. ment teams of mission critical embedded de- TMS320C6678 digital signal processor, based News ID 16341 vices. Achilles Test Software delivers the tools on the KeyStone multicore architecture. Poly- that development teams require to test critical Platform is a bundle of productivity tools and CMX: embedded software suite for software early in the development cycle, before runtime communications engine that simplifies STM32 family they enter the QA lab. the process of migrating to and developing CMX Systems offers two RTOSes, two TCP/IP News ID 16102 applications for multicore platforms. stacks, five Flash File Systems and USB support News ID 16351 for the STM32 processor families, which in- Renesas Electronics introduces new DSP clude STM32F1xx, F2xx and F4xx. Support is library for RX MCUs LDRA integrates tool suite with IBM also provided for many compiler tool chains Renesas Electronics announced a robust DSP Rational Rhapsody including ARM, GNU, IAR, KEIL, Rowley Library that improves ease of use and helps LDRA has fully integrated the LDRA tool suite and Atollic. CMX-RTX is a truly preemptive, speed the implementation of DSC designs for with IBM Rational Rhapsody ensuring a seam- multi-tasking RTOS offering one of the small- developers working with Renesas’ RX600 and less workflow from model-driven development est footprints, fastest context switching, and RX200 series of microcontrollers. The new to test and verification. IBM Rational Rhapsody, lowest interrupt latency times available on DSP Library provides a robust set of fully opti- a UML-based modeling and code-generation the market today. RTOS functionality provided mized and debugged functions that allow faster tool, speeds the design of complex systems in CMX-RTX includes: task, message, queue, implementation of many of the numerical, that often must meet industry certification system, event, memory, resource, semaphore, filter and transform operations needed in a standards. The LDRA tool suite intelligently and timer management. CMX-RTX includes variety of consumer and industrial applications, obtains information from the model and au- an intuitive Windows GUI which simplifies including those for medical, building automa- tomates the development and configuration RTOS configuration. tion, industrial automation, sensing and audio. of the potentially complex test harness. News ID 16257 News ID 16353 News ID 16350

December 2012 12 EMBEDDED TRENDS

Cheap, fast and low power

Jim Stuart, Industrial MCU Marketing Manager EMEA, Freescale

Our industrial customers chal- create greater need for sophisticated human-machine interfaces (HMI) lengele us to provide solutions that and multiple connectivity options with safe, secure and predictable oper- allowa system cost reduction, faster ation. To concurrently provide rich HMI and real-time control means timeti to market, extended power bringing together two very different system paradigms. For example, efficiency,e increased wired and HMI computation focuses on efficiently processing pixels and displaying wirelessw connectivity and easier- them on a screen, while guaranteed determinism requires highly predictable to-qualifyto functional safety solu- response times for tasks. Vybrid devices have a dual core architecture that tions.ti Building on the sweeping combines the ARM Cortex-A5 application processor and the ARM Cor- successsu of the Kinetis K family tex-M4 for real-time control. The Vybrid portfolio is designed to be a launchedla two years ago at Elec- transitional product from Kinetis MCUs featuring the ARM Cortex-M4 tronicatr 2010 we have been fol- core and the i.MX 6 series featuring the ARM Cortex-A9 core, while also lowinglo this up with several exten- providing scalable devices that can address the needs of a market that de- sionsi tto our portfoliotf li off AARM-basedRM b solutions, which is a trend in mands critical safety and security, connectivity and rich HMI in the same itself. The demand for increased energy efficiency and extended piece of silicon. The Vybrid roadmap is built with this scalability and battery life has been satisfied with the Kinetis L family which went to code compatibility in mind, so that the performance of the device mass production on 25 September. It is the first low-cost 32-bit roadmap grows with the needs of the customers long into the future. Cortex M0+ microcontroller to be brought to market, setting new standards for power efficiency (sub 50μA/MHz) as well as hitting a The Freescale solution for functional safety, the PXS family of 32-bit distribution price point of only 49 US cents for 10k units (satisfying a power architecture dual-core microcontrollers targets industrial applications sub-trend to migrate away from 8-bit to 32-bit solutions). The Kinetis which require compliance with the IEC61508 (SIL3) safety standard. It KW20 Wireless MCU has increased wireless connectivity capability, it reduces design complexity and component count by putting key functional integrates a class-leading RF transceiver, Cortex-M4 and a robust safety features on a single chip with a dual core, dual-issue architecture, feature set for reliable, secure and low-power IEEE 802.15.4 wireless which can be statically switched between lockstep mode (redundant pro- solutions. The Kinetis W series is optimized for wireless, providing the cessing and calculations) to decoupled parallel mode (independent core right mix of performance, integration, connectivity and security. The operation). The performance of the PXS family is rarely experienced in a increasing complexity and demands of embedded industrial systems also microcontroller, with over 600 DMIPS possible. Automotive electronics trends Ross McQuat, Automotive MCUs, Operations Manager EMEA, Freescale

In over 30 years of supplying easy-to-use S12 16-bit core and 40V analog capability, the MagniV theth automotive industry with mar- family offers the right blend of digital programmability and high-pre- ketk leading microcontrollers, cision analog, plus a portfolio of scalable memory options. Freescale FreescaleF has seen many changes, has long been at the forefront of developing communications protocols, fromfr our first 8-bit controller with from our early adoption of the now ubiquitous CAN protocol, to cur- 20,0002 transistors, to our latest rently driving the introduction of Ethernet connectivity in the automotive QorivvaQ multi-core processors with arena. By taking advantage of the MPC5604E utilisation of twisted- overo 200 million transistors. In this pair Ethernet connections, car makers can reduce material expenses timeti we’ve witnessed the dramatic and lower weight while improving performance. The MPC5604E com- increasein in processor speeds, ever presses video data and transmits in real time via Ethernet, providing a morem efficient power schemes, and low cost alternative to screened LVDS cabling. Freescale also provides anan explosion in software complexity an Ethernet streaming stack (software) so that customers can take full andd theh memory systems requiredi d to manage it. Despite all these advantage of the hardware on the chip. The automotive industry has changes though, some things remain constant, and that is our customer relentlessly pursued safety throughout the age of electronic control, demand for ever greater levels of integration, more capacity for data and this has recently been codified in the ISO26262 standard which de- communication, and the continued pursuit of safer vehicles. Integration scribes the criteria which an automotive system or component must of previously discrete digital functions and low voltage analog func- satisfy to be considered for use in safety-related systems. Qorivva tionality is routine, but with space constraints on vehicle applications MPC5643L 32-bit MCU was recently certified to the highest level of like window lift, gauges and HVAC motor control becoming ever more this standard making it the first semiconductor product to achieve the demanding, a new approach was needed. Freescale S12 MagniV portfolio certification. This MCU built on Power Architecture technology, is de- simplifies system design in these applications with expertly integrated signed for use in a wide range of automotive applications that require mixed-signal devices. With up to 128kB of integrated flash memory, high levels of automotive safety integrity.

13 December 2012 EMBEDDED TRENDS

Trends on the horizon

Krunali Patel, General Manager MCU Marketing and Systems, Texas Instruments

Three distinct trends are driving the overall Third: System integration of complex micro- growth in TAM for microcontrollers. controllers that leads to higher overall functionality with increased simplification for end First: We, as consumers, are looking to add users is key to enable smarter living and growth more functionality in our lives through smarter of total available market share (TAM) for mi- gadgets. We are more conscious than ever of crocontroller penetration in everyday life. Our the need to make the world green and to con- world is now full of inventors of all demo- serve resources for generations to come. And graphics, where Maker Faires lead to fascinating above all, we want to live longer. We are en- innovations/solutions with minimal invest- abling a world of smart living with exciting ments. This world is a paradigm shift for evolutions in various ecosystems. For example, semiconductor suppliers. Our customers look obesity is on an alarming rise. Consumers are beyond silicon to differentiate their products. now looking for preventative vs diagnostics With their research and development time capabilities in medical devices. The same is primarily spent on software and systems inte- true for insurance providers and employers to gration, they don’t want to be concerned about help reduce overall cost of health benefits. A transistor or circuit level details. TI offers a blood glucose meter, once typically used by detection)d t ti ) andd wirelessi l communicationi ti pro- broad spectrum of microcontroller products diabetic patients, is now being transformed tocols (e.g., NFC and WiFi) can be successfully for ultra low power, real-time control, safety, into a preventative, non-invasive gadget to re-used across consumer, industrial and auto- computing and connectivity applications. These help monitor blood glucose levels and modulate motive applications in the smart living world. are easy to use by customers with a strong food intake, to prevent diabetes. With evolution With this convergence of technologies, micro- ecosystem of software, tools, documentation of smart phones, cloud computing and a myr- controllers have significantly evolved into in- and application notes. They provide a path to iad of smart phone applications, data from telligent and integrated devices. For example, our customers to provide strong differentiation such devices is now available to physicians for smartphone-like touch interfaces are being in their applications, bill of materials cost re- continuous monitoring. implemented in industrial machinery touch duction by integrating needed analog for par- panels, as well as in building automation ap- ticular applications, as well as application- Second: Microcontrollers have become complex plications like lighting control. Similarly, in specific tools and software for ultra-low power to enable smart living. The evolution of deep automotive applications where microcontrollers uses, motor control applications, smart grid submicron silicon technologies makes it pos- may have been used traditionally in life-critical solutions, functional safety designs and more. sible to increase functionality without increas- braking and airbag applications, they have In short, we are in the world of smart living ing silicon area, process node after node. The found home in consumer-centric applications that TI microcontrollers help enable. With as combination of technologies like high per- like remote keyless entry, car infotainment much transition and growth as microcon- formance data converters, sensors, human in- and safety applications such as advanced driver trollers have seen, I can’t wait to see what’s terface technologies (e.g., touch and proximity assistance systems and much more. next on the horizon. Product News

TI: wireless network processor offers Freescale: Qorivva MCU receives ISO 26262 ARM launches Cortex-A50 series of three most popular ZigBee standards functional safety standard certification 64-bit processors Texas Instruments announced that the CC2538 Freescale Semiconductor is making it easier ARM announced the new ARM Cortex- ZigBee wireless network processor offers the for automotive electronics suppliers to develop A50 processor series based upon the ARMv8 three most popular ZigBee standards for one functionally safe systems in compliance with architecture. The series initially includes end-device (ZigBee Smart Energy, ZigBee the ISO 26262 standard. The company an- the Cortex-A53 and Cortex-A57 processors Home Automation and ZigBee Light Link). nounced the certification of its Qorivva and introduces a new, energy-efficient 64- Now a single end-equipment can support these MPC5643L 32-bit MCU by exida. The Qorivva bit processing technology, as well as ex- three standards, offering a seamless user expe- MPC5643L 32-bit MCU, built on Power Ar- tending existing 32-bit processing. The scal- rience with fast switching between each stan- chitecture technology, is designed for use in a ability of the processor series enables ARM dard making it seem like concurrent operation. wide range of automotive applications that partners to create SoCs that address diverse In turn, manufacturers of smart meters, home require high levels of automotive safety in- markets, from smartphones through to appliances, home gateways and connected tegrity, including electric power steering, active high-performance servers. lighting products are able to deliver better suspension, anti-lock braking systems and News ID 16374 quality of service. radar-based advanced driver assistance systems. News ID 16403 News ID 16112

December 2012 14 EMBEDDED TRENDS

The future of microcontrollers

Laurent Vera, EMEA Microcontroller Marketing Director, STMicroelectronics

ST strategy for microcontrollers is based on portfolio. The STM32L product portfolio in- two product families. For the very low cost, tended for battery-operated products with a we are focusing our efforts on the STM8, a need for long battery life is starting to gather a very cost-effective 8-bit proprietary architec- lot of momentum in the market. Developing ture. The STM8 product portfolio keeps on an ultra-low power product is a very demand- benefiting from a lot of innovation. We recently ing task; one does not write the firmware for a introduced STM8L and STM8S Value line. For low power platform as for a generic one, the the 8-bit market, innovations do not necessarily firmware needs to be optimized. We see more mean new features, higher memory range or and more customers, willing to break free higher CPU frequency. For STM8, the latest from proprietary architectures in this market. innovation lies in the cost reduction we have Customers feel that once they have invested been able to reach to enable new markets in too many resources on a proprietary architec- which microcontrollers were not considered ture, they are stuck. Cortex-M based machines before. We see more and more customers re- are a very good alternative. STM32L is the placing simple logic, a combination of EEP- leading platform in this market, and we will ROM with logic with the STM8. The 8-bit keep on developing the portfolio. As for the market and STM8 have a bright future, the beddingbedding 1Mbyte1Mbyte ofof flashflash andand 192Kbyte192Kbyte ofof SRAM.SRAM STM32 standard portfolio, we will develop vast majority of innovation will be coming We are now developing the STM32 platform the low power platform to the low end and to from manufacturing efforts and supply chain in several directions. The first direction is per- the higher level of performances. optimization. formance. STM32 was first introduced based on a Cortex-M3 CPU at 72 MHz, we are now Last but not least, we are now considering the For the 16- and 32-bit market, we are investing in full production with a Cortex-M4 at development of the ecosystem as the most massively on the STM32 platform. ST was the 168MHz, and will keep on bringing more per- important factor to increase our market pene- first major semiconductor company partnering formances to the market. There is a strong de- tration. Time to market is essential. Customers with ARM to bring a Cortex-M 32-bit micro- mand for more memory, more MIPS, more are looking for solutions, ease of use. We controller on the market. Today, we have more integration, customers want alternatives to already have many software bricks available than 350 commercial products in production, MPUs and DSPs. We intend to keep our lead- on the STM32 platform, coming from partners, from a simple Cortex-M0, 20-pin package and ership position in race for performances. The open source or even designed by ST. We are 16 KB of flash up to a very high-end Cortex- second direction in which we are investing a developing the tools to make the most of this M4-based machine running at 168MHz em- lot is the development of our ultra-low power vast ecosystem.

Product News

Fujitsu: two new MCU families based on Renesas: ARM-based MPU family for achieve high performance but also reduce the ARM Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M0+ graphics, HMI and office networking bill of materials cost and lower the system Fujitsu Semiconductor has launched the new Renesas has disclosed details of its roadmap power consumption. FM4 Family of 32-bit general-purpose RISC for next-generation microprocessors. The new News ID 16329 microcontrollers based on the ARM Cortex- family of ARM-based high-performance em- M4 processor core, as well as the new FM0+ bedded MPUs will be called the “RZ family” Toshiba: ARM Cortex-M3 MCU with USB family, which utilises the Cortex-M0+ core. and will be developed for applications re- device controller Fujitsu plans to start releasing sample quantities quiring high-speed data processing in excess The latest 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 microcon- of products in these new families in summer of 300 MHz, specifically Human Machine In- troller from Toshiba Electronics Europe will 2013. Combined with the current FM3 family terfaces and Networking. Across the embedded reduce the component count of industrial and of microcontrollers, the Cortex-M4, M3, and market space, two of the most important sys- digital consumer applications where high per- M0+ processor core product group will com- tem developments are in terms of adding ad- formance, low power and USB functionality prise a broad-based line-up of more than 700 ditional services through increased connec- are key design requirements. The TMPM365 different products, whose consistent architec- tivity and ensuring that the end-user has a integrates the ARM Cortex-M3 core, a USB ture and flexibility will now be an even better richer experience. This is focus area for the device controller, a 12-channel ADC, on-chip fit for growing customer needs in the areas of new MPU family from Renesas. The RZ family program and data memory, timers and con- higher performance and lower power con- will include up to 10MB of internal RAM and figurable serial connectivity options into a sumption. has been designed to allow GUI and Net- BGA package measuring just 9 x 9mm. News ID 16407 working development teams to not only News ID 16240

15 December 2012 EMBEDDED TRENDS

Industrial motor control demands precision speed and isolation

Aengus Murray, Motor and Power Control Applications Manager, Industrial and Instrumentation Segment, Analog Devices

Industrial automation companies need to using modified high speed Ethernet. However, continuously to improve the energy efficiency, there is still a significant challenge in precisely dynamic response and precision of motor synchronizing command signals in equipment drive systems used in factories and processing such as machine tools or industrial robots. plants, to reduce energy consumption and im- Because of this, an analog interface is still the prove production throughput and quality. preferred option in industrial equipment and Emerging requirements now include advanced 12-, 14- and even 16-bit precision converters safety and network connectivity to improve typically provide this function. The industrial operational efficiency and reliability. These fieldbus or Ethernet connection is still required performance improvements are all enabled by because manufacturing control systems still improvements in motor drive feedback signal require connectivity to the drive to enable acquisition and motor control signal process- complete view into all layers of the manufac- ing, combined with communication interfaces turing process. Many of the fieldbus standards and system control functions. such as Modbus, DeviceNet or CClink use standard interface ports such as CAN or UART, In an AC drive system power flows from the but the signals must be isolated from the net- input line through the bridge rectifier to the sensors. CCurrentt ffeedbackdb k accuracy andd con- work. The h/w interface is simplified by trans- DC link, the three-phase inverter, and finally verter dynamic performance is the key to de- ceivers that integrate both the driver and iso- to the AC motor. The inverter gate drive signals livering smooth torque at low speeds from an lation technology. and motor current feedback signals must be AC motor. Additionally, position and velocity isolated from the power circuits because of feedback are signals acquired from sensors The core element in the drive system is the the high voltages present. Therefore high per- such as sine-cosine optical encoders or re- motor control processor or processors that im- formance isolation technology is a key element solvers. Sampling the encoder analog output plement the motor control algorithms and in any motor drive system. A precise motor signals using a fast ADC delivers much finer manage the system functions such as commu- winding current signal is acquired using a precision than simply counting zero crossings. nication interfaces, drive configuration and the shunt resistor connected to a ADC front end This is again the preferred approach in servo safety functions. Servo control systems often modulator. This simplifies the signal isolation systems, but resolvers are still used in applica- have more than one processing block to maxi- task because the modulators’ digital outputs tions demanding more robustness. Integration mize control performance but regardless of the are more easily isolated than analog signals. of the servo drive in the automation system integration level, support of the motor control This approach is now the preferred method- requires a torque, velocity or position com- signal chain needs advanced 16-bit converter ology in AC servo drive systems, because it mand interface to the machine controller. In- technology that can be integrated as needed provides lower offset and better gain matching dustrial network standards have advanced over with either high speed processors or high speed than isolation amplifiers or Hall effect current the years from simple serial field busses to isolation technology such as iCoupler. Product News

ams to roll out first ISO26262 Microchip expands low-power Op Amps ams: NFC interface chip harvests energy automotive products into higher voltages from RF emissions ams is approaching volume production of first Microchip announces three new families of Implementing instant, high-speed Near Field automotive products developed along the new low-power, general-purpose operational am- Communication between two independent functional safety standard ISO26262. Released plifiers that expand the range to 12V supply devices has been made easier and cheaper in 2011, the ISO26262 standard is the major voltages. Because the MCP6H7X/8X/9X main- with the introduction of the AS3953 interface global regulation governing functional safety tain the same pin-outs and features as Mi- chip from ams. The AS3953 offers a high in road vehicles. The vast majority of today’s crochip’s existing 6V and 16V families, de- data-rate interface between a NFC device automotive ICs under development at ams in- signers can easily migrate to the ideal voltage such as a smartphone and any host micro- clude ISO26262 requirements. Device appli- rail, in addition to the new families’ higher- controller with a standard Serial Peripheral cations cover electric power steering, pedal speed Gain Bandwidth Product range of 2.7- Interface. and position sensors. 10 MHz. News ID 16398 News ID 16273 News ID 16368

December 2012 16 EMBEDDED TRENDS

Model-based design keeps the entire system in focus

Dr. Joachim Schlosser, Manager Application Engineering, MathWorks

The increasing functional complexity of de- mastered just with pen and paper, as the spe- vices, machines and plants makes the software cialist departments involved also want to see used to control and monitor them even more what impact the individual design-related de- essential. At the same time, there is growing cisions will have on their respective working pressure on developers to make innovative sys- environments. Computer simulations are in- tems ready for the market even faster. However, dispensable for developing an ideally aligned the innovation process unleashed by new tech- overall system. A standardised platform for nologies is raising the level of sophistication. bringing together all the needs of the disciplines Designers have less and less time to deal with participating in the development process forms increasingly great volumes of data. Mountains the basis for a solution. The common denom- of data and dependencies are not just the prod- inator here is mathematics. It efficiently rec- uct of the growing number of components onciles all the subsystems and disciplines with and subsystems that have to be harmonised its algorithms and the aid of a suitable ecosys- with one another. What makes matters even tem of software tools. more difficult is the fact that a wide range of disciplines have to be conjugated so that the Not only has industry recognised the significance overall system can function smoothly: mathe- prepares ttheh electricityl t i it beforeb f iitt can beb fedf d of these design tools for model-based develop- matics and information science, engineering into the power grid. The more effectively these ment. The trend at universities and other higher sciences, natural sciences and economics can systems are coupled together, the lower the education institutions is towards project-based only collectively lead to a solution. dissipation rate and the less risk there is of learning. Theory is very quickly tried out in grid malfunctions. Last but not least, the onus practice to make sure that the engineers of to- The following example from the field of re- is on the management experts who have to morrow are fit to take on complex development newable energy generation clearly illustrates develop their price models based on a variable tasks. They learn that design tools serve as effec- the problems associated with mutually de- feed-in performance and plan the wind farm tive development accelerators with which even pendent parameters. The electricity produced several years in advance. complex overall systems can be set up. With the by a wind farm is not just contingent on the right tools, development times can be accelerated wind strength. What also counts is the capa- The success of the system as a whole is de- by up to a third, or correspondingly more can bility of the turbine to turn into the wind - pendent upon how well its component systems be achieved within the same time frame, thus and to squeeze out just that little bit more en- are harmonised with one another. To achieve satisfying the need for a fast and effective market ergy through the positioning of the rotor this, engineers, machine builders, computer launch. Mathematics gives a boost to make the blades. Background control mechanisms reg- scientists and management experts have to sit development of products even faster - despite, ulate the mechanical systems. The varying down around the same table. Today, the con- or perhaps because of, the increasing complexity yield has to be processed by the inverter, which vergence of these disciplines can no longer be of the systems involved.

Product News

LDRA selects distributor Logic Technology Agilent: new software for X-Series signal Tektronix: mixed domain oscilloscope to extend European sales analyzers gains worldwide industry recognition LDRA has appointed Logic Technology to ex- Agilent Technologies releases new software for Tektronix announces that the MDO4000 Mixed tend LDRA’s reach into the German- and the X-Series signal analyzers offering expanded Domain Series oscilloscope has won two presti- Dutch-speaking regions of Europe for safety-, WLAN support to include the emerging gious awards in France the “17th Palmarès tech- mission- and security-critical markets. With 802.11ac standard. In addition to supporting nologique de Mesures 2012” award in the cate- nearly 20 years’ experience in embedded tech- 802.11a/b/g/n, the N9077A WLAN measure- gory of Instrumentation and the “15ème éditon nology sales, Logic Technology brings engi- ment application now offers one-button des Electrons d’Or’” award in the instrumentation neering-savvy expertise to customer sales 802.11ac testing with a new option (4FP), en- electroniques category. With these two new throughout Germany, Benelux, Austria and abling design verification and validation early awards wins, the MDO4000 has been recognized Switzerland. in the product-development process. globally with 12 prestigious industry awards. News ID 16396 News ID 16390 News ID 16167

17 December 2012 EMBEDDED TRENDS

Instrumentation revisited

Rahman Jamal, Technical and Marketing Director Europe, National Instruments

It does not require the capabilities of a clair- they need. LabVIEW software combined with voyant to recognize that fixed-functionality this new class of RF instrumentation empowers devices are becoming a relic of the past. The any engineer or scientist with RF knowledge PDA, the portable music player, the map, and to successfully design new features or enhance countless other tools are more and more being existing ones within the instrument. The soft- replaced by smartphones. Essentially, it all boils ware should first give you a way to design the down to software that enables flexible com- software in the instrument at a system level, puting platforms that can do so many things simplifying the complexity of the instrument in one device and thus change its personality into basic blocks for visualization and pro- as required. But if you look at the basic model gramming. Then the software should abstract of instrumentation, it has remained largely the complexity of the software and firmware unchanged. Engineers and scientists wanting of an RF instrument at a fundamental level, so to make measurements first purchase fixed- that you can quickly understand the signal function hardware from test and measurement flow and know when and how to make addi- suppliers, and use software, such as NI Lab- tions and modifications. This helps you dig VIEW, on a standard desktop PC to extend the into each abstraction in a hierarchical way to hardware functionality with signal processing, RF vector signali l transceiveri ((VST),) theh firstfi access every function in the instrument. Lab- decision making, automation, and so on. software-designed instrument, combines a vec- VIEW is uniquely suited to each of these re- tor signal generator and vector signal analyzer quirements. It is equally adept at optimizing Coming from the world of instrumentation, with a user-programmable FPGA into a single parallel programming for FPGAs on instru- we at National Instruments coined the phrase PXI modular instrument. Engineers can trans- ments, real-time processors, and software on “the software is the instrument” in the 1980s form the vector signal transceiver into a new the PC. The native dataflow programming to describe the importance of software for au- instrument or enhance its existing functionality model also provides an intuitive way to repre- tomating multiple devices in the test systems using NI LabVIEW system design software. sent the movement of data from the I/O pin you design. With the introduction of the NI The new VST is ideal for testing the latest to your application. In this way, it helps solve LabVIEW system design software, National wireless and cellular standards such as 802.11ac the visualization problem and the implemen- Instruments redefined the way engineers and and LTE. The new NI PXIe-5644R VST is de- tation in the same diagram. For some, the ap- scientists think about instrumentation. We signed to be smaller, lower cost, and more plications and potential are obvious; others have invested years in development to simplify software-centric from the ground up. Based will take a while to embrace this new approach. the process of controlling instruments from on industry-leading FPGA technology, and It’s similar to the advance of user-empowered multiple vendors through LabVIEW instru- the principle of open-source software and smartphones. Looking back, you cannot imag- ment drivers. By introducing a PXI vector firmware completely written in LabVIEW, the ine life without the diversity of applications signal transceiver (VST), we’ve given more VST hardware design pushes software as close solved through this single device, but when power to the system designer to not only craft as possible to the point where RF is converted the first smartphone came to market, most of the system software around the instruments, to bits. By replacing fixed, vendor-defined the world still viewed it as a simple telephone. but to design the software that runs within hardware with a flexible, software-designed How will your perceptions of instrumentation the instrument - hence, the world’s first soft- approach, the VST empowers test engineers to change once software-designed instruments ware-designed instrument. The NI PXIe-5644R design exactly the instrument functionality become mainstream?

Product News

SEGGER: encryption now available for Tektronix: Mixed Domain Oscilloscope IAR: KickStart Kit for Fujitsu MB9BF618T emFile embedded file system series now with entry level models The KickStart Kit for Fujitsu MB9BF618T al- SEGGER introduces encryption for its emFile Tektronix has expanded its MDO4000 Series lows to design, develop, integrate and test embedded file system. This add-on provides an of Mixed Domain Oscilloscopes to include applications and contains: MB9BF618T eval- easy way to encrypt storage media either in its two new entry level models. With the same uation board from IAR Systems; IAR Embed- entirety, or on an individual file basis. The en- features and functionality of the 12-time award- ded Workbench for ARM, 32KB Kickstart edi- cryption layer may be used with both available winning MDO4000, the new models put break- tion and 30-day full functional evaluation edi- file systems FAT and SEGGER’s EFS, as well as on through time and frequency domain analysis tion; IAR visualSTATE evaluation edition; IAR all supported storage types, such as NAND, NOR, in the hands of engineers at a more affordable J-Link on-board and example applications for SD-cards, MMC cards, CompactFlash cards, etc. price level. the board. News ID 16246 News ID 16235 News ID 16295

December 2012 18 EMBEDDED TRENDS

United hard- and software Editors Jürgen Hübner phone +49(0)8092-2477413 development fax +49(0)8092-2477429 [email protected]

Wolfgang Patelay Frank Krämer, Technical Marketing Director EMEA, Altium [email protected] Tony Devereux [email protected]

PCB/FPGA co-design or design re-use gain For Reader Inquiries and Address Changes significant competitive advantages. Altium please contact: Designer lets us provide a unified tool to [email protected] our customers, allowing them to implement Sales & Marketing Director out-of-the-box solutions in those areas and Manfred Blumoser achieve their goals more successfully. phone +49(0)8092-2477411 fax +49(0)8092-2477429 [email protected] On the tool side, we see the strong need to provide efficient tools for tasks like sharing li- Claudia Mellein braries between users, and to integrate version [email protected] control for an auditable track of design changes. Christiane Lockner Tools and methodologies for design re-use [email protected] from the very beginning are also very crucial, in order to enable repeatable and controllable Sales Office - UK and USA, Benelux, Scandinavia design release and test processes to create Blue Sky Communications error-free manufacturing data with no need Malcolm Cameron SoftwareS f isi a fundamentalf d l part off developingd l i to rely on emails back and forth. 21 Cliffe Avenue electronic devices today. It’s intimately related Westbrook, Margate, Kent CT9 5DU, UK to the underlying hardware, yet traditional Besides providing pure design functionality phone +44 (0)77 88-10 84 11 hardware design environments ignore its exis- within the design tool, we will continue to fax +44 (0)80 82-8010 57 tence. At Altium we believe that software create systems which help designers early in [email protected] design should be a core element of the design the design phase to make intelligent decisions system. Unlike conventional tool chains where when choosing the components for their de- Sales Office - Asia Jean Cheng, [email protected] software development and FPGA design are sign. Apart from the functionality of a device, Vivian Hung, [email protected] tackled using separate, disconnected applica- there are different aspects which are equally Innovative Media Information & Services tions, we’ve been focused on getting embedded important and might make the difference be- 7F-3, No. 26, Sec. 2, Ming-Quan East Rd. hardware and software development inside a tween a winning or losing product. Therefore Taipei 104 Taiwan phone +886 2 2563 1186 single design environment. Writing and de- information about lead time, availability, cost, bugging application software, implementing second source, alternatives as well as design Head Office the code on programmable hardware and test- intelligence such as successful usage of a coming the combined result are all performed ponent/circuitry in former designs will be within one design system, without the need needed in the design environment. for complex exchanges of design data between ICC Media GmbH applications. Having these data early in the design process Rauwagnerstr. 5 makes the design re-use much more efficient. 85560 Ebersberg / Germany

Because Altium Designer employs a single We see different ways how such information Editorial Office UK model of the design data, any changes in the can be provided. Web-based applications 36a Blackacre Road hardware domain will automatically propa- are of course very well suited to provide Theydon Bois gate to the embedded design space. With real-time supply chain information about Essex, CM16 7LU this architecture in place as a backbone for components. This is why we extend both Copyright© All rights reserved. our customers engineering environment, we functionality and content in our online No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted use the unified data model to care for another platform AltiumLive. Over the last couple in any form or by any means without the prior express written urgent need in the engineering community: of months for example we have been re- permission of ICCMedia. Although we make every effort to present up-to-date, accurate management of design data, which includes leasing more than 100,000 design-ready information, boards&solutions will not be responsible for any various design disciplines during the whole components - visible in AltiumLive and di- errors or omissions or for any results obtained from the use of such information. The magazine will not be liable for any loss design process all the way through to manu- rectly accessible from within the design en- caused by the reliance on information obtained on this site. facturing. Independent market surveys show vironment so that they can be placed in a Furthermore, ece does not warrant the accuracy or that leading electronic design companies that design project with a single mouse click - completeness of the information, text, graphics in this magazine. The opinions expressed in the articles are those of the have formally implemented workflows around with all data needed to drive the project authors and not necessarily the opinions of the publisher. data management, ECAD/MCAD integration, through to manufacturing.

19 December 2012 PRODUCT NEWS

SYSGO strengthens presence in Turkey by tata 6.2 has been specifically developed to sim- IS2T: 28 Kbyte Java virtual machine partnering with G-TEK plify, further automate and speed up the soft- supports 32-bit MCUs To efficiently address new opportunities in ware testing procedure. Cantata 6.2 is now also IS2T has announced MicroEJ Java platform sup- the Turkish market, SYSGO is now partnering available as a complete built-on Eclipse devel- porting the development and integration of Java- with G-TEK, a company providing software opment environment or as a set of Eclipse- based functionality for low cost, memory-con- solutions, training, consulting and technical ready plug-ins supporting the last four Eclipse strained, C and C++ applications running on support to its customers. Nowadays, software releases. Cortex M-based microcontrollers. MicroEJ provides is getting more important in embedded sys- News ID 16315 a runtime Java platform that includes IS2T’s Mi- tems. G-TEK’s added value relies on its capacity croJvm, 28 Kbyte Java virtual machine, an optional of providing high-quality solutions for real- Wind River adds Yocto Project to Auto IVI RTOS (~10 Kbytes), all necessary libraries to run time and embedded systems, performing soft- Software Platform an advanced graphical human-machine interface ware testing and guaranteeing security. Wind River has added Yocto Project compo- (HMI), and a fully functional simulated platform News ID 16270 nents into Wind River Platform for Infotain- that allows fully debugged and tested binary code ment. Using Wind River Platform for Info- to be ported directly to any supported MCU. IAR significantly improves development tainment, customers can quickly build a News ID 16389 tools for Renesas MCUs GENIVI-compliant automotive in-vehicle in- IAR Systems announced new user-friendly fotainment (IVI) platform based on the Yocto Green Hills joins Xilinx Alliance Program functionality in its development tools for Re- Project development infrastructure and take Green Hills Software has announced that it has nesas’ R32C and 78K microcontrollers. The advantage of open source for its capability for joined the Xilinx Alliance Program as a Premier updates include a new editor and source brows- rapid innovation. member. Green Hills’ extensive support for er, which enables features such as auto-com- News ID 16279 Zynq-7000 devices ranges from the embedded pletion, code folding, block selection, block multicore IDE, MULTI, to symmetrical multi- indentation, bracket matching, and zooming. Enea: commercial grade Yocto based processing support with INTEGRITY real-time The latest version of IAR Embedded Work- Linux distribution operating system, to INTEGRITY Multivisor bench for R32C also adds integration with the Enea is announcing the first commercial release secure virtualization, and tightly integrated version control system Subversion. of the Yocto Project based Enea Linux v2.0 - a processor trace debugging via the Green Hills News ID 16326 hardened, commercial grade Linux distribution TimeMachine debugger and SuperTrace probe. addressing next generation communications News ID 16386 Digia joins forces with KDAB and ICS to and networking systems. Enea Linux v2.0 is host Qt Developer Days the Linux distribution for communications EBV and Bridgelux sign distribution Three of the leading players in the Qt ecosystem – and networking and includes a comprehensive agreement for LED lighting products Digia, ICS and KDAB – are joining forces to host cross-development tool chain and runtime EBV Elektronik and Bridgelux announce a Qt Developer Days 2012 in the US and Europe. environment with guaranteed performance distribution agreement to promote and deliver As custodian of the Qt Project, Digia is committed and quality of service, flexible support offerings, LED lighting products to customers within to working with the Qt community to ensure the worldwide support and maintenance, and the EMEA region. Bridgelux actively supports continuing development of open source and com- expert professional services. its customers by delivering value-added, ap- mercially licensed software in a manner that ben- News ID 16221 plication-specific solutions that will open up efits all users. Used by over 450,000 developers new markets in solid-state lighting. worldwide, Qt is a full framework that enables the Vector: AUTOSAR 4.0.3 basic software News ID 16399 development of powerful, interactive and plat- available form-independent applications. Vector has extended its AUTOSAR solution News ID 16271 for AUTOSAR 4.0.3. This version supports automotive OEMs and suppliers in imple- COMPANY PAGE LDRA: tool verifies test coverage menting the latest AUTOSAR standard. The completeness solution consists of the MICROSAR basic soft- LDRA has released LDRAcover, a stand-alone ware and the new generation of the DaVinci code coverage tool that verifies the source Configurator Pro configuration tool. Vector ARM 11 code of an application has been fully struc- has acquired extensive experience in imple- turally tested. This offering responds to the menting MICROSAR basic software in over needs of companies that wish to improve over- 200 production projects. Avionics 21 all quality of code by ensuring complete testing, News ID 16188 as well as those companies that must meet the most stringent levels of code verification in Adeneo Embedded sets up engineering Express Logic 9 markets such as avionics, defense, industrial and sales office in Germany controls, automotive and medical devices. Adeneo Embedded announces the creation of News ID 16163 a new sales and engineering office in Frankfurt. Lauterbach 5 This new operation will be the third full service QA Systems enhances testing tool for engineering and sales office of Adeneo Em- C/C++ embedded systems bedded. With more than 60 engineers world- MEN Mikro Elektronik 29 QA Systems announces the general release of wide, and part of a 600 Employees’ group,

Cantata 6.2 - the latest version of the Cantata Adeneo Embedded provides a complete OS Advertisers Index unit and integration testing tool for C/C++ and Software expertise on Windows Embedded, MSC 3 embedded systems. Including more than 30 Android and Linux technologies. separate enhancements and over 40 fixes, Can- News ID 16089

December 2012 20 PRODUCT NEWS

Tektronix: oscilloscope puts embedded Electronic pipettes are based on motor manip- frequency (RF) Technology. The new site is system debug within easy reach ulated piston where strict safety and repeatability designed to help design engineers find the Tektronix introduced the MSO/DPO2000B se- requirements set extreme challenges to the latest RF product information by frequency ries of oscilloscopes that put advanced debug motor controller inside the device. Other major range, plus access the latest technical resources features within easy reach of engineers and challenges are restrictions in physical size, weight, in as few clicks as possible. The site features educators. The new oscilloscopes make it easier battery life as well as low BOM cost. new products from industry-leading manu- than ever for engineers – even those on very News ID 16323 facturers such as Skyworks Solutions, M/A- limited budgets – to gain all the debug advan- COM Technology Solutions, TriQuint Semi- tages of full serial bus decoding and triggering. Bluetechnix releases Argos smart camera conductor, and Texas Instruments, to name The 12-model MSO/DPO2000B Series oscil- series just a few. loscope features bandwidths from 70 MHz to Bluetechnix comes up with a new family of News ID 16364 200 MHz. With industry-leading 1 M point 2D and 3D smart cameras called Argos. record lengths, these oscilloscopes make it easy Argos2D-A100 is the first product of this Optogan: scalable high-power LED module to find events of interest in long records using series, a standalone camera based on a Freescale Optogan has started mass production of its Tektronix’ innovative Wave Inspector to per- i.MX535 ARM Cortex-A8 processor with 1 high-power X10 modules. Based on the inno- form manual or automated search. GHz. Provided with profuse 1 GB DDR2 RAM, vative concept of scalability, flexibility and News ID 16301 the i.MX enables the user to run a full Linux lean processing, the X10 modular Chip-on- kernel including GUI. This flexibility in terms Board solution significantly reduces the man- Granite: embedded motor control for of software is also given in terms of hardware. ufacturing costs of energy-efficient light sources electronic pipette The design is developed totally modular to based on LEDs. A unique feature of the X10 is When Biohit set some really challenging targets enable customers as well as developers to a combination of small size, state-of-the-art to their upcoming new hand held servo motor specify SoM, board, imager and optics sepa- module efficiency over 110lm/W, the optimal controlled pipette, Picus, it was clear that a rately whereas the case has not to be changed. price and convenient size for mounting. Op- high tech partner in embedded motor controls News ID 16281 togan has already produced modules consisting was needed in order to meet the strict technical of 72 items that can be easily divided into requirements in the given schedule. The main Mouser introduces new RF technology site LED elements of smaller sizes and power. use of electronic pipettes is to speed up precision Mouser Electronics announces its newest News ID 16318 liquid dispensing and mixing in laboratories. technology site on Mouser.com covering radio