Piccolo MCUs sampling now to enable greener, more cost-effective industrial, automotive and consumer applications

Helping designers bring 32-bit real-time control to cost sensitive applications, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) announced two new USB-based tools for Piccolo(TM) 32-bit TMS320F2802x microcontrollers (MCU). The new evaluation and development tools make it easier for designers to evaluate Piccolo MCUs and develop more energy-efficient, real-time control applications such as solar power micro-inverters, LED lighting, white goods appliances and hybrid automotive batteries (http://www.ti.com/controlstickpr). In addition, the first Piccolo-based devices, the F2802x series, are now available for sampling (http://www.ti.com/piccolopr).

Piccolo controlSTICK key features

  • $39 evaluation tool
  • Helps designers evaluate and learn about Piccolo MCUs
  • Small, USB stick form factor
  • On board USB JTAG for quick, easy project evaluation
  • Access to all control peripherals through header pins
  • 32 KB limited Code Composer Studio(TM) IDE and example projects

Piccolo USB Experimenter’s Kit key features

  • $79 for full development kit; includes $49 Piccolo controlCARD
  • Prototyping gets designers developing on Piccolo MCUs quickly
  • On board USB JTAG emulation with connection for external emulator and power supply
  • Access available to all Piccolo pins
  • 32 KB limited Code Composer Studio IDE

Real-time control drives energy efficiency across many applications

  • Solar micro-inverters: Packing 32-bit performance into a small, low-cost package brings better efficiency and control to solar-powered systems by enabling micro-inverter-based systems that have the potential to drive higher power conversion efficiencies compared to traditional, centralized inverter systems.
  • Commercial and industrial lighting applications: LED technology can bring up to 50 percent higher energy efficiency compared to traditional high pressure sodium lamps. Piccolo MCU-based systems enable smart current control and easy system networking to reduce the complexity and cost of managing color mixing and temperature control required for white LED systems.
  • Power line communications (PLC): Piccolo MCUs’ real-time performance and integration help bring PLC to multiple applications, including street light networks that allow cities to pinpoint power outages and centrally manage or adjust lighting based on time of day, traffic or weather conditions.

Pricing, availability, tools and support

The $39 Piccolo controlSTICK offers example projects that walk through Piccolo MCUs’ advanced functionality, from simply blinking an LED to configuring the high resolution ePWM peripherals. The $79 Piccolo Experimenter’s Kit offers the next step in development by allowing designers to prototype and develop full Piccolo MCU-based projects quickly and easily. The first F2802x Piccolo MCUs, TMX320F28027PTA and TMX320F28023DAA, are available for sampling and scale from 40 to 60 MHz variations with up to 64 KB Flash memory, 12-bit ADC, ePWM and various peripherals. Future Piccolo MCUs such as the F2803x series will offer increased performance and memory sizes as well as additional peripherals and features such as the programmable, floating point control law accelerator (CLA).

Source: Texas Instruments Incorporated


OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, introduced the Throttle eSATA drive, which offers performance and versatility for enthusiasts that demand the best hardware. The integration of eSATA connectivity now extends beyond desktop systems to laptops, offering increased data transfer rates with extreme portability while eliminating extra cords and power cables.

“We are excited to introduce the Throttle eSATA drive, which delivers many of the key benefits of external SATA including faster transfer rates and a cost effective expansion storage for high performance computing,” said Eugene Chang, Director of Product Management for the OCZ Technology Group.

“The Throttle is available in high densities and offers exceptional peak interface speeds for high performance notebooks, desktops, consumer electronics and entry level servers. In the case where an eSATA port is not available, the Throttle has the ability to connect via USB as well for ultimate flexibility.”

A sophisticated alternative to conventional USB drives, the OCZ Throttle’s primary eSATA interface offers an incredible 90MB/second read speeds and 30MB/sec write speeds, increasing productivity to new heights. The substantial 8GB to 32GB capacities offer plenty of storage for your diverse multimedia files including high-resolution photos, high-definition movies, or large quantities of music.

Additionally, users can access their data via an auxiliary mini USB port for ultimate flexibility.

Travelers, enthusiasts, and business professionals will benefit from the greater overall user experience that this new high-capacity, high speed Throttle has to offer.

With true plug-and-play capability, instantaneously access your data from any computer without the need to install any additional hardware or drivers. Backed by a 2-year warranty, the Throttle eSATA drive will perform with OCZ’s ultimate commitment to quality.

For more information on the OCZ Throttle eSATA flash drive, please visit our product page here.


Cryptzone releases powerful new encryption for USB devices

  • Author: USB World
  • Filed under: USB News
  • Date: Dec 14,2008

Cryptzone, the Nordics leading Data Leak Prevention provider, announced the release of their new USB flash drive encryption software, Secured eUSB 4.0.

Secured eUSB 4.0 is the first product to be integrated in the new version of Cryptzone´s centrally managed security platform, the Simple Encryption Platform (SEP) 4.0.

Protecting sensitive information on USB flash drives is a growing problem for many companies but with Cryptzone’s solution, companies can now take control of this problem.

Secured eUSB can convert any existing USB flash drive into a secure means of transporting sensitive data. The new version of Secured eUSB, version 4.0, will enable users to encrypt, decrypt, compress and password-protect personal files – even entire folders – stored on USB drives.

Operating on the Windows platform with drag-and-drop functionality, the encryption process is transparent to end-users and has no negative effects on employee productivity. It demands no preinstalled software and can be used without administrative rights, meaning it can work anywhere!
Utilizing the power of the Simple Encryption Platform (SEP) Management Console and SEP Server, Secured eUSB is managed and controlled from a central location, making deployment and management of users and user rights easy and fast.

Secured eUSB comes pre-packaged with centralized reporting and auditing. With this functionality you can create inventories of users and their USB flash drives. You can create reports on what information they have on their USB drives, where the information originated from, if it has been edited, deleted or otherwise changed.
“Because of the growing concerns over identity and intellectual property theft, we’ve made it a priority to provide a solution to the market with a more comprehensive and versatile security software,” said Peter Davin, CEO of Cryptzone.

“In this time of economic distress, many organizations are transferring huge volumes of sensitive information and it is critical that this data is kept confidential. Secured eUSB comes pre-packaged with extensive reporting & auditing ensuring compliance with federal laws & regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley, Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLBA) and PCI.”


SmartVM Enhances USB 2.0 Extender and DVI Extender Solutions

  • Author: USB World
  • Filed under: USB News
  • Date: Dec 12,2008

SmartVM has enhanced its USB extender product line with the addition of the new USB 2.0 Extender. This Cat5 USB 2.0 Extender is an easy to use solution that now extends any USB peripheral device from the host computer to a distance up 100m/330ft via Cat5 cable. SmartVM has also improved its line of Cat5 DVI Extender and DVI Fiber Optic Extenders with a number of selections to choose from.

SmartVM

Two versions of the new USB 2.0 Extender are now available. First is the Icron USB 2.0 Ranger 2101 USB Extender, which allows you to extend from one USB 2.0 peripheral device up to 100m or 330ft feet via Cat5 / Cat5e / Cat6 UTP cable.

The second is the Icron USB 2.0 Ranger 2104 USB extender. This unit acts as a hub and allows the extension of up to four USB devices from a single source at distances up to 330ft all over a single Cat5 cable! These enhanced USB extender over Cat5 products consist of a local transmitter and remote receiver unit that are connected using Cat5 UTP cable. Each is designed more efficiently and utilizes less space than previous versions.

The SmartVM USB Extender can provide remote connection to network servers, or may be used in situations where access is needed in secure or harsh computing environments such as a factory floor or construction site.

Other models of USB Extender products continue to provide superior performance and quality including the Icron USB 2.0 Ranger 440, Icron USB 2.0 Fiber Ranger 442 Multimode Fiber Extenders and the Icron USB 2.0 Fiber Ranger 444 Single Mode Fiber Extender. S

martVM also offers a Wireless USB Extender, the WiRanger; a 4-port hub combining Icron’s patented ExtremeUSB technology and the industry standard 802.11g frequency that enables high-speed wireless connectivity with a max reach extending over 30 meters.

SmartVM offers a great selection of DVI Extender products to extend your digital DVI video signal long distances. This is made possible by using Cat5e / Cat6 UTP or Fiber Optic cable to transmit the video signal, bypassing the distance limitations of standard DVI cable.

The DVI Extender is still able to retain clear, crisp images with high resolutions that you would get with a directly connected LCD monitor. DVI Fiber Optic Extender over a single fiber cable is the newest addition to DVI Extender products family. This allows for long distance transmission of high resolution video and is unaffected by EMI.

This solution is perfect for high security areas such as in government, military applications or in manufacturing environments where electrical interference is prevalent.

SmartVM Cat5 DVI Extenders include a local transmitter unit that sits next to the DVI source and a remote receiver unit that is located near the remote LCD monitor.

DVI Extender units connect between computers and peripherals, are easy to setup, and require no special tools or software for immediate operation. In addition to the basic DVI-D extender, SmartVM also carries a DVI Dual Link Fiber Optic Extender for functionality with high resolution monitors and several Cat5 DVI Splitter Extender versions.

Source: SmartVM


KVM Extension Device Provider Leverages Icron Technology to Enable USB Connectivity at Distances up to 25 miles without Quality Loss or Transmission Delays

Icron Technology Corporation (TSX Venture: IT), leading providers of USB extension solutions, today announced that Thinklogical, a leading manufacturer and provider of KVM extension, switching and secure console server devices, has deployed Icron’s ExtremeUSB(R) Core Design License to enhance the functionality of its new VelocityKVM system.

A leading designer of KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) extension solutions, Thinklogical offers a complete line of secure console servers for mission critical installations, as well as fiber optic KVM and DVI (digital video interface) video extenders. While developing a new product to meet customer demand for flawless real-time video reproduction and complete USB peripheral compatibility, Thinklogical designers realized the need for a unique USB extension solution that could span an entire city over single-mode fiber without quality degradation or transmission delays that usually cause the connection to fail.

By embedding Icron’s ExtremeUSB technology into the VelocityKVM System, Thinklogical was able to meet the challenges associated with connecting USB devices over single-mode fiber and enable connectivity at distances up to 25 miles, while reducing time to market and costs. In addition to supporting multiple video streams, VelocityKVM simultaneously integrates keyboard, mouse, audio, USB 1.1 connectivity and optional support for USB 2.0.

Breaking the traditional USB distance barrier with unsurpassed video and USB signal quality, the VelocityKVM product is a huge market success with Government, Universities and Military customers who require remote video streaming capabilities with full security and control, within large-scale campuses and across an entire city. Thinklogical is already making plans to integrate upcoming Icron technology into future releases.

“Icron’s ExtremeUSB Design License allowed us to embed USB over fiber into our VelocityKVM System in order to meet our customers’ remote connectivity requirements,” said Kevin Keefe, Director of Engineering at Thinklogical. “Icron’s design and support team was responsive and helpful, which facilitated rapid development,” added Keefe.

“Thinklogical’s KVM solutions enable broadcast and post-production customers to work seamlessly with various production facilities, even though a considerable distance may separate the physical locations,” said Brian Donnelly, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Icron Technologies. “We are constantly assessing the needs of our customers so that we can provide the best extension solutions on the market. We are pleased to support Thinklogical in providing their customers with a complete solution for error-free transmission.”

Icron Technologies Corp

Icron Technologies is a visionary leader in high performance USB bridging and extension solutions for commercial and industrial markets worldwide. Icron’s USB extension and bridging products are deployed in a wide range of applications including: digital home connectivity, industrial automation, medical imaging, aerospace, and KVM extension. Icron’s patented ExtremeUSB(R) technology extends the range of USB 1.1 / 2.0 over Cat 5, Wireless, Fibre, Powerline, Coax and Phone lines, at distances of up to 25 miles (40 km). ExtremeUSB technology is available in a variety of formats including technology licenses, OEM modules, developer kits, as well as branded and private-label products.

Icron is a publicly traded corporation and trades under the symbol “IT” on the TSX Venture Exchange. For more information on the company and its products, please visit www.icron.com.





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