www.newelectronics.co.

uk
www.newelectronics.co.uk

1328 June2021
April 2016

COMMUNICATIONS
SPACE
ROVERS ELECTRONICS
EXCEED TEST• SAFETY
EXPECTATIONS•• SYSTEMS
& SECURITY
REDEFININGDESIGN • LIGHTING
HARDWARE ENCLOSURES
IN REAL TIME•• BOARD
• EMCTECHNOLOGY
CATCHING SHIELDING
UP WITH CLOCKS

THE REAL DEAL?

Are augmented and virtual reality
finally set to become the next big
computing platforms?
THE
PERFECT
STORM
Shortages of components have raised
questions as to how the supply chain operates
 New Electronics’ weekly eZine features the
latest blogs, news, articles and more.
To register for your copy, go to
www.newelectronics.co.uk CONTENTS VOL 54 NO 6

16 18

10 22 25
COVER IMAGE: Corona Borealis/stock.adobe.com

COMMENT 5 COVER STORY 10 LIGHTING 20

A shortage of
semiconductors is seeing
a number of governments
consider building cutting
edge fabs
NEWS
Cadence unveils next-
generation Palladium Z2
and Protium X2 systems
The perfect storm
Shortages of semiconductors, along with other
components, have raised questions as to how
the supply chain operates. By Neil Tyler
INTERVIEW
Building resilience
James Woodhead talks to New Electronics
about the need to build greater business
6 resilience through supply chain rationalisation
Throwing a light on Bluetooth
According to the Bluetooth SIG connected
lighting solutions are growing rapidly.
Neil Tyler finds out more
14 SYSTEMS DESIGN 22
Simplifying IoT applications
Chipset specific IPDs are intended to simplify
the development of next gen wireless IoT
applications, as New Electronics discovers

Siemens looks to accelerate ENGINEERING ‘GREEN’ 16 COMMUNICATIONS TEST 25

design-to-manufacturing
handoff for printed circuit
boards 7 Every component counts in the UK Rail
Arm introduces the Armv9
architecture to improve
security and deliver AI 8
Heading full throttle to
net zero carbon
Systems’ programme to deliver net zero
carbon, as Leigh Chapman explains
BOARD DESIGN
Easy as PI
How is the Sony Corporation’s electronics
manufacturing arm, UK Tec, using the
Raspberry Pi to unlock Industry 4.0?
By Ankur Tomar
Increasing data throughput
With the upcoming 802.11be WLAN standard
nearly complete, Werner Dürport and
Lisa Ward look at how it will impact test
& measurement requirements
18
MISSION STATEMENT
‘New Electronics keeps designers and
managers abreast of the latest developments
in the world’s fastest moving industry’

www.newelectronics.co.uk 13 April 2021 3

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 COMMENT SUPPLY CHAIN

A supply
chain in flux
A SHORTAGE OF SEMICONDUCTORS IS SEEING A GROWING NUMBER OF
GOVERNMENTS LOOK AT CONSTRUCTING THEIR OWN CUTTING-EDGE FABS

T
he COVID-19 crisis, a fire at a Renesas facility and the pro-longed and exceptional
winter weather in Texas have all combined to cause a chip shortage undermining
the automotive and electronics industries and, in turn, have highlighted just how
dependent the world is on supplies from Taiwan and South Korea.
Governments are said to be weighing up the possibilities of subsidising the
construction of new semiconductor factories in response with the US, the EU, India and
Japan looking at the possibility of developing cutting-edge ‘fabs’. With more than two-
thirds of advanced computing chips now manufactured in Taiwan there is seen to be a
need for factories outside of Asia and Intel, Samsung and TSMC have already drawn up
plans to build factories in the US. In the case of Intel, it is also talking about building a
new factory in Europe.
However, is any of this likely? It would be “economically unrealistic” for the US and
Europe to build local foundry capacity for local demand, according to TSMC’s chairman
Mark Liu, who has suggested that any new capacity would likely end up being ‘non- “Europe
profitable’, and that there’s already enough capacity in the system to meet the rising dropped out of
demand for AI and 5G chips. He suggests that the pandemic and growing trade tensions this race a long
between the US and China are both abnormal factors which have affected the supply
time ago and no
chain – left alone, things will return to normal.
While that might be true in Japan, Canon, Tokyo Electron and Screen Semiconductor longer has the
Electron have joined a government funded programme to develop advanced 2nm chips, necessary local
while India is looking to build on its strengths as a design centre for global chip firms know-how.”
and lure factories with new subsidies.
Helmut Gassel,
It does appear that every country wants to build its own fab in what could be seen
Infineon
as a return to the 1970s, before the US and Europe outsourced chip manufacturing to
the Far East. In Europe there are clashes between the EU and national governments over
the need for advanced computer chip factories - a policy that’s being promoted by the
EU’s internal market chief Thierry Breton.
In opposition, Helmut Gassel, head of strategy at German chipmaker Infineon has
warned that, “Europe dropped out of this race a long time ago and no longer has the
necessary local know-how,” to deliver.
So, if we are to see a new tranche of factories appearing are we then going to see
nations developing their own semiconductor industries? If they do and a chip ‘arms
race’ develops might we simply end up with too much chip making capacity and in the
process waste limited resources and vast amounts of tax payers’ money?

Neil Tyler, Editor (neil.tyler@markallengroup.com)

www.newelectronics.co.uk 13 April 2021 5

 NEWS EDA

Cadence unveils
Editor Neil Tyler
neil.tyler@markallengroup.com
new ‘Dynamic Duo’
CADENCE UNVEILS NEXT-GENERATION PALLADIUM
Contributing Chris Edwards, John Walko
Editors editor@newelectronics.co.uk
Z2 AND PROTIUM X2 SYSTEMS. NEIL TYLER REPORTS
Art Editor Chris Charles Cadence Design Systems UltraScale+ VU19P FPGAs migration and testing from
chris.charles@markallengroup.com has announced the Palladium in these systems provide emulation to prototyping.
Z2 Enterprise Emulation customers with 2X capacity “Pre-silicon verification of
Illustrator Phil Holmes
and Protium X2 Enterprise and 1.5X performance advanced SoC design requires
Sales Manager James Creber Prototyping systems that are improvements over their a solution with multi-billion-
james.creber@markallengroup.com intended to handle increasing predecessors, allowing design gate capacity that offers both
Publisher Peter Ring system design complexity and engineers to run more validation highest performance and
peter.ring@markallengroup.com time-to-market pressures. cycles on bigger chips in less rapid predictable debug,”
Managing Jon Benson Both have been designed time. Both systems offer said Paul Cunningham, senior
Director jon.benson@markallengroup.com to enable high throughput pre- breakthrough modular compile vice president and general
silicon hardware debug and technology capable of compiling manager of the System &
Production Nicki McKenna
Manager nicki.mckenna@markallengroup.com pre-silicon software validation 10 billion gates in under 10 Verification Group at Cadence.
for the industry’s largest multi- hours on the Palladium Z2 “Our new ‘dynamic duo’ meets
New Electronics editorial advisory panel
billion-gate system-on-chip (SoC) system and in under 24 hours these requirements with two
Trevor Cross, chief technology officer, Teledyne e2v
Pete Leonard, electronics design manager, Renishaw
designs. on the Protium X2 system. tightly integrated systems,
Pete Lomas, director of engineering, Norcott Technologies Dubbed the Cadence The Palladium Z2 and Palladium Z2 emulation
Neil Riddiford, principal electronics engineer, Cambridge “dynamic duo” for its tight Protium X2 have been developed optimised for rapid predictable
Consultants integration with unified to address the challenges faced hardware debug and Protium
Adam Taylor, embedded systems consultant compiler and interfaces, the by those designing for the most X2 prototyping optimised for
ISSN 0047-9624 Online ISSN 2049-2316 next-generation emulation advanced applications and highest performance multi-
processors and Xilinx are able to offer rapid design billion-gate software validation.”
Annual subscription (22 issues):
UK £108. Overseas; £163. Airmail; £199.
New Electronics, incorporating Electronic Equipment News
and Electronics News, is published twice monthly by
MA Business, Hawley Mill, Hawley Road, Dartford, DA2 7TJ. SEGGER’s emFile to Labcenter introduces
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Moving on?
cover PSoC 6 Proteus v8.12
If you change jobs or your company moves, please contact Cypress, a subsidiary of Infineon, has extended Labcenter Electronics, an EDA specialist, has
circulation@markallengroup.com to continue receiving
its licensing for SEGGER’s emFile embedded file announced Proteus v8.12, the latest release
your free copy of New Electronics
system to its latest hardware platform PSoC 6. of its flagship Proteus Design Suite software.
The PSoC 6 provides a secure solution for This release sees the completion of support
IoT development while supporting multiple for differential pair routing with pass-through
security environments without external storage. components.
The Systems-on-a-Chip (SoC) provides integrated Proteus now enables fast and accurate
Part of
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IoT systems that require protection from cyber signals with automatic skew correction, target
threats and hacking. length matching and dedicated reporting
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necessarily represent those of the editor of New Electronics. was already part of the license agreement, it our PCB Design technology roadmap,” said Iain
Advertisements in the journal do not imply endorsement of the
products or services advertised. now includes the following modules: journaling Cliffe, Executive Director at Labcenter Electronics.
Please read our privacy policy, by visiting (component that makes the file system layer fail- Proteus also includes support for multiple
http://privacypolicy.markallengroup.com. This will explain safe); encryption (of entire media or individual rigid boards per project, each of which can
how we process, use & safeguard your data
files); device drivers for NOR and NAND flash have different layer stack-ups and design rules.
Printed by Pensord.
memory (fail-safe in case of unexpected reset, Documentation outputs, such as the Bill of
wear leveling, bad block management); and Materials, and production outputs, such as
device drivers for IDE and CompactFlash (access Gerber X2, are all board-aware. The design
to data on IDE hard disks and CompactFlash explorer module enables global overview and
memory cards possible). easy navigation.

6 13 April 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk


Siemens introduces PCBflow
SIEMENS UNVEILS A SECURE, CLOUD-BASED SOLUTION FOR ACCELERATING DESIGN-
TO-MANUFACTURING HANDOFF FOR PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS. NEIL TYLER REPORTS
Siemens has introduced PCBflow, a cloud-
based software solution which looks to bridge
the gap between the electronics design and
manufacturing ecosystems. PCBflow extends
Siemens’ Xcelerator portfolio with a secure
environment for printed circuit board (PCB)
design teams to interact with a variety of
manufacturers, performing a range of design-
for-manufacturing (DFM) analyses in the context
of each manufacturers’ process capabilities
and so speeding up the design-to-production
handoff.
Powered by the Valor NPI software engine,
which can perform over 1000 DFM checks,
PCBflow enables PCB design teams to rapidly
identify manufacturability violations. These
violations are then sorted and prioritised
according to level of severity, guiding users
through images and locations on the design for
easy identification and immediate correction.
PCBflow is Siemens’ first step toward PCB
assembly online solutions which are able to
automate the design-to-manufacturing handoff
process. Siemens is the first company to
offer a marketplace featuring online, fully
automated DFM analysis technology, which
can help optimise designs, reduce front-end
engineering cycles, and streamline designer and
manufacturer communication.
“PCBflow is the ultimate product-design tool,
because it supports comprehensive designer/
DC/DC controllers with integrated EMI filter
Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced a
family of synchronous DC/DC buck controllers
that enable engineers to shrink the size
of the power-supply solution and lower its
electromagnetic interference (EMI).
Featuring an integrated active EMI filter
(AEF) and dual-random spread-spectrum
(DRSS) technology, the LM25149-Q1 and
LM25149 enable engineers to cut the area
of the external EMI filter in half, lower the
conducted EMI of the power design by as
much as 55 dBµV across multiple frequency
bands, or achieve a combination of reduced
filter size and low EMI.
By integrating the AEF in these devices TI
has made it possible for engineers to meet
EMI standards while increasing their design’s
power density. To further reduce EMI, both
www.newelectronics.co.uk 13 April 2021
NEWS
manufacturer collaboration with a closed-loop
feedback mechanism that drives continuous
improvement,” said Dan Hoz, general manager,
Valor Division, Siemens Digital Industries
Software. “Because customer designs are in
sync with the fab’s capabilities, respins can
be reduced, time-to-market can be shortened,
board quality can be optimised, and yield can
be enhanced.”
As a software as a service (SaaS)
technology, PCBflow also incorporates the
security standards of Siemens’ software,
reducing risk and protecting intellectual property
(IP) with no additional IT investment.
PCBflow works with the Mendix low-code
application development platform providing the
ability to build multi-experience apps and share
data from any location, on any device, on any
cloud or platform, helping users to benefit from
the advantages associated with digitalisation.
buck controllers also feature frequency
synchronization to an external clock, helping
engineers mitigate undesired beat frequencies
in applications sensitive to EMI.
Maintaining low EMI in the power supply
and achieving a small solution size are usually
at odds in switching power-supply designs.
The LM25149-Q1 and LM25149 buck
controllers, however, allow engineers to meet
challenging EMI standards and shrink solution
size by reducing the area and volume of the
passive EMI filter.
Compared to many other solutions currently
on the market, TI is claiming that engineers
can now achieve maximum savings of nearly
50% in area and over 75% in volume of the
front-end EMI filter at 440 kHz. By lessening
the filtering burden on the passive elements,
PCB DESIGN
Intel launches
10nm Xeon Ice
Lake processors
Intel has announced the launch of its
10nm Ice Lake Xeon processors with
over 200,000 already in the hands of
customers, according to the company.
With up to 40 ‘Sunny Cove’ cores per
processor, built-in acceleration and new
instructions, the Ice Lake-SP platform
is said to be able to offer a significant
performance boost for AI, HPC, networking
and cloud workloads.
In addition to increasing the core count
from 28 to 40 over the previous-generation
Cascade Lake devices, Ice Lake is able
to provide eight channels of DDR4-3200
memory per socket and up to 64 lanes of
PCIe Gen4 per socket, compared to six
channels of DDR4-2933 and up to 48 lanes
of PCI Gen3 per socket for the previous
generation.
As a result of these enhancements,
along with AVX-512 for compute
acceleration and DL Boost for AI
acceleration, Ice Lake is able to deliver,
according to Intel, an average 46 percent
performance improvement for datacentre
workloads and 53 higher average HPC
performance, generation-over-generation.
Security has also been boosted by
Intel Software Guard Extensions and Total
Memory Encryption.
the integrated AEF reduces their size, volume
and cost, enabling engineers to achieve the
smallest possible low-EMI power design.
The LM25149-Q1 and LM25149
controllers further increase power density
by enabling interleaved dual-phase operation
and by integrating the bootstrap diode, loop
compensation and output-voltage feedback
components, which in turn reduces design
complexity and cost.
7
 NEWS
ARM UNVEILS V9 ARCHITECTURE
ARM INTRODUCES THE ARMV9 ARCHITECTURE IN RESPONSE TO GROWING DEMAND FOR IMPROVED SECURITY AND THE
INCREASED DEPLOYMENT OF AI. NEIL TYLER REPORTS
In what is the first new architecture
in over a decade Arm has
introduced Armv9.
“As we look toward a future that
will be defined by AI, we must lay a
foundation of leading-edge compute
that will be ready to address the
unique challenges to come,” said
Simon Segars, chief executive
officer, Arm. “Armv9 will be at the
forefront of the next 300 billion Arm-
based chips driven by the demand
for pervasive specialised, secure
and powerful processing built on
the economics, design freedom
and accessibility of general-purpose
compute.”
The new capabilities in Armv9
are intended to help accelerate
the move from general-purpose to
more specialised compute across
applications such as AI, the Internet
of Things (IoT) and 5G.
To address the issue of data
security, the Armv9 introduces
the Arm Confidential Compute
Architecture (CCA) which shields
portions of code and data from
access or modification while in-
use, even from privileged software,
by performing computation
in a hardware-based secure
environment.
The CCA introduces the concept
of dynamically created Realms,
useable by all applications, in
a region that is separate from
both the secure and non-secure
worlds. For example, in business
applications, Realms can protect
commercially sensitive data and
code from the rest of the system
while it is in-use, at rest, and in
transit. In a recent Pulse survey of
enterprise executives, more than
90% of the respondents believe
that if Confidential Computing
were available, the cost of security
could come down enabling
them to dramatically increase
their investment in engineering
innovation.
8 13 April 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk
V9 ARCHITECTURE
With the range of AI workloads
demanding more diverse and
specialised solutions Arm has
developed a new version of its
Scalable Vector Extension (SVE)
technology, developed with Fujitsu.
SVE2 for Armv9 enables
enhanced machine learning (ML)
and digital signal processing (DSP)
capabilities across a wider range of
applications.
Embedded Vision FPGA for
automotive applications
Lattice Semiconductor has expanded
its Crosslink-NX family with new
FPGAs specified for automotive
applications such as ADAS and IVI
systems. The CrossLink-NX FPGAs
provide a combination of best-in-
class low power, small form factor,
high-performance I/O, and reliability
to embedded vision applications for
advanced automobiles.
These FPGAs are currently the
only ones in their class to support
embedded MIPI D-PHY interfaces
with speeds up to 10 Gbps.
“The number of integrated
sensors and displays is increasing
which presents a challenge to
automotive system designers
that need to quickly and reliably
process image data to deliver
real-time performance to enable
a compelling - and safety-focused
- user experience,” explained Jay
Aggarwal, Director of Silicon Product
Marketing, Lattice. “With support for
automotive operating temperatures,
SVE2 enhances the processing
ability of 5G systems, virtual
and augmented reality, and ML
workloads running locally on
CPUs, such as image processing
and smart home applications.
Over the next few years, Arm will
further extend the AI capabilities
of its technology with substantial
enhancements in matrix
multiplication within the CPU, in
addition to on-going AI innovations
in its Mali GPUs and Ethos NPUs.
According to Arm, the Armv9
generation can expect to see CPU
performance increases of more than
30% over the next two generations
of mobile and infrastructure CPUs.
However, as the industry moves
class-leading dedicated high-
performance MIPI interfaces, low
power consumption, and high
reliability, these new CrossLink-NX
FPGAs provide a platform for
automotive embedded vision
systems.”
The CrossLink-NX FPGAs have
achieved AEC-Q100 qualification
up to Grade 2 and a Soft Error Rate
(SER) up to 100 times lower than
similar competing FPGAs.
Built on the Lattice Nexus FPGA
platform, they can deliver up to 75
percent lower power consumption
in comparison to similar competing
FPGAs which in turn provides extra
thermal headroom for ADAS and
IVI applications running at higher
temperatures.
These FPGAs are intended
for embedded vision applications
and support for multiple fast I/Os,
including MIPI, PCIe (5 Gbps Gen 2),
and DDR3 memory and they also
enable ultra-fast I/O configuration in
from general-purpose computing
towards ubiquitous specialised
processing, annual double-digit
CPU performance gains will not be
enough.
Along with enhancing
specialised processing, Arm’s
Total Compute design methodology
will accelerate overall compute
performance through focused
system-level hardware and software
optimisations and increases in use-
case performance.
In addition, Arm is developing
several technologies to increase
frequency, bandwidth, and cache
size, and reduce memory latency
to maximize the performance of
Armv9-based CPUs.
3 ms and total device configuration
in less than 15 ms.
CrossLink-NX FPGAs are up
to 10 times smaller than similar
competing FPGAs, making them
suitable for space-constrained
automotive systems that need the
smallest ICs possible.
To facilitate the design of
FPGA-based systems, CrossLink-NX
automotive FPGAs support the
latest versions of the Lattice Radiant
(version 2.2.1) and Lattice Propel
(version 1.1) software tools to
simplify and accelerate embedded
vision system design. They are also
supported by the Lattice mVision
and sensAI solution stacks so
designers can leverage the stacks’
modular hardware platforms,
reference designs, neural network IP
cores, and custom design services.
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The perfect
STORM
Shortages of semiconductors, along
with other components, have raised
questions as to how the supply
chain operates. By Neil Tyler

C
OVID-19 and the on-going global
health crisis have brought many
challenges to businesses and
forced them to adopt new business
practices and operations. The pandemic
has impacted every business sector,
some more extensively than others,
and brought to the fore questions about
resilience.
A pivotal area has been that around
the effective management of supply
chains with many companies now
looking at how their supply chains
function.
Turning to specific sectors such as
automotive, the past few months have
brought into question how the supply
chain functions and whether what we As a result, there was a term, semiconductor production in
have needs to be radically reformed. significant shift among manufacturers Asia is calibrated to meet the needs of
“The onset of COVID-19 affected us to support the consumer market but European customers.
all in many ways but it had a significant then, “the demand started to come Governments in the United States,
effect on the automotive industry with back to the automotive market towards the European Union, Japan and India
the expectation that the demand for the end of 2020,” added Wallace. are all said to be contemplating
cars would fall significantly,” said Ian “Manufacturers and their fabrication spending billions of dollars on new
Wallace, Senior Director, EMEA Business facilities have and are continuing chip fabrication plants. This is a
Development, Digi-Key Electronics. to make capacity adjustments, but move that is not only intended to
“Automotive manufacturers responded it takes time to readjust in order “Manufacturers and address possible shortages of key
by cancelling orders for components to accommodate the automotive their fabrication components but also to address more
from the beginning of Q2 2020. industry’s increasing requirements.” facilities have and strategic issues - with more than
However, while people had a much In response, a growing list of are continuing to two-thirds of advanced computing
lower demand for cars, at this time, the governments around the world are make capacity chips manufactured in Taiwan there
demand for other products remained said to be looking at the possibility adjustments, but are worries that future tensions with
robust reflecting how our lifestyles had of subsidising the construction of it takes time to China could have serious implications
changed in response to the crisis. If you new semiconductor factories as readjust in order for manufacturers in the West with
look at products in the consumer market continuing chip shortages affect the to accommodate supplies curtailed or even cut-off.
such as tablets, laptops, smartphones, auto and electronics industries. In fact, the automotive It’s interesting to note that a top US
gaming consoles, televisions and increased shortages over the coming industry’s increasing military commander recently warned
wearable electronic devices etc., year are likely and this has raised requirements.” lawmakers in Congress that a Chinese
demand for them boomed.” questions as to whether, in the longer Ian Wallace takeover of Taiwan was the military’s

10 13 April 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk


foremost
concern in
the Pacific.
According to
Joseph Notaro, VP of WW
Automotive Strategy and Business
Development at ON Semiconductor,
Corona Borealis/stock.adobe.com
“The supply chain has turned into a
really big story at the moment and in
terms of semiconductors the situation
is tight. COVID-19, the bad weather in
Texas, and the fire at Renesas’ facility
in Japan have all put a strain on the
supply chain.
“When you look at the automotive
supply chain, however, it is not so much
about market conditions but rather
the way in which the market operates.
The industry has been doing the same
thing for years, so why did we expect a
different outcome this time?
“Lean manufacturing and just-in-
time are central to the way the supply
chain works – that’s fine when it’s
stable and predictable, but not so good
with the level of market disruption
we’ve seen.”
Notaro argues that the supply chain
needs to operate differently.
“The industry has a short memory.
Once things get back to normal it’ll
probably go back to how it’s always
operated, but it needn’t and shouldn’t.”
Already Digi-Key is seeing increased
www.newelectronics.co.uk 13 April 2021
demand, according to Wallace. “As a
consequence we are seeing lead times
extending and production capacity of
certain semiconductors being booked
up for long periods of time. The
importance and prioritisation of electric
vehicles by car manufacturers is also
contributing to the increased demand
and urgency.”
According to Notaro, however,
while a car can be
manufactured in hours
it takes months to
build and deliver
semiconductors,
so while the industry
cancelled orders in 2020 as
the pandemic hit new orders, in the
light of a more rapid recovery especially
in the Far East, wont be appearing until
Q3 this year.
“The automotive industry has
traditionally made no real volume
commitments going forward, tending to
re-book at short notice, and that has to
change. Risk has to be shared better
and the cancellation of orders should
really stop. I think we need to see more
reliability and stability in the supply
chain with binding orders over the
longer term,” Notaro suggested.
“There is certainly a different
attitude today and I believe that
the industry is more aware of the
complexity associated with the supply
chain, which will only get more complex
with electrification. There’s more ‘how
can we work together to solve this’,
than the banging of fists on tables as
in the past.”
Supply constraints are also being
felt in other areas, according to Graham
Maggs, Vice President of EMEA
Marketing, Mouser Electronics.
“Another component where we
are seeing shortages is multilayer
ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) which
are contained in various technologies,
such as electric vehicles, smartphones,
laptops, and 5G telecommunications
infrastructure. The annual market
growth for MLCCs is often in double-
digits, and these devices are produced
in staggering numbers – literally trillions
COVER COMPONENT SHORTAGES
of units, every year,” Maggs explained.
“Such is the ubiquitous nature
of their use that demand for MLCCs
can fluctuate dramatically. Again, as
industries rebound from the initial
impact of the pandemic, MLCC makers
are rapidly expanding production at
a time when staggered shifts must
be maintained for social distancing.”
“Customers According to Maggs, production levels
are looking for are also constrained as manufacturers
significant flexibility struggle to cope with staff shortages
and proactivity on caused by the need to self-isolate.
top of the usual The supply of MLCCs, like
elements of good semiconductors, is therefore under
pricing, customer pressure and that is, according
service and a to Maggs, feeding through to
willingness to go manufacturers in a broad range of
that extra mile.” sectors with increases in prices and
James Woodhead lead times.
“There will be other products apart
from capacitors that will have extended
lead times, including MOSFETs, and
we are keeping a close watch on other
passive components,” added Wallace.
“It is an uncertain time, but we believe
things are moving in the right direction
with the COVID-19 situation, and we’re
managing the needs and requirements
of the market in the most productive
yet safest way possible.”
Streamlining supply chains
Pacer is a specialist supplier of
optoelectronic, display and laser
solutions, and according to James
Woodhead, Manager of Projects
Division, the market can change or
boom in a relatively short space of
time, and it takes a long time for
manufacturers to increase existing
“Lean capacity.
manufacturing and “Customers are looking for
just-in-time are significant flexibility and proactivity
central to the way on top of the usual elements of
the supply chain good pricing, customer service and a
works – that’s fine willingness to go that extra mile,” said
when it’s stable and Woodhead.
predictable, but “Flexibility, therefore, is critical.
not so good with Customers want distributors to be
the level of market flexible and agile, so we really need
disruption we’ve to mimic such an approach in our
seen.” supply chain. Good communication is
Joseph Notaro crucial; impersonal communications
11
 COVER
and sudden unexpected decisions can
damage relationships and discourage
customers from trusting their
suppliers.”
As a consequence companies are
looking to rationalise their suppliers.
“To ensure future supply chains are
efficient, we will probably need to follow
the model of the automotive industry,
which is regularly cited as the gold
standard along with health, defence
and aviation,” Woodhead suggested.
“The automotive industry pioneered
the requirement for very agile supply
chains which can work off ‘just in
time’ deliveries, making everything as
efficient as possible, while not handling
stock for longer than is necessary.
And I believe that it’s here that digital
transformation and artificial intelligence
will come to the fore with computer
modelled assembly and robotics.”
However, despite such an
approach reaping many benefits, the
recent component shortages have
exposed challenges within this type of
automotive supply chain model, which
Notaro highlighted earlier, with many car
plants across the world either having to
close or severely curtail production.
“The lack of any buffers has been
highlighted as a weakness so caution
is required but there are elements
of this approach that we will want, or
need, to emulate. Furthermore, it can
be argued that these initiatives are still
really for the big players. For some, this
may be the only way to compete.
“Going forward, technology will
undoubtedly have a significant role to
play in the supply chain in general, and
its rationalisation in particular.”
The ‘cloud’ of Brexit
For UK companies the global shortage
of components has combined with
having to adjust to new trading
relationships brought about by the
UK’s formal withdrawal from the EU in
January this year.
“I think Brexit has had an effect
on many companies in our industry,
with new rules and regulations to
understand and adjust to,” said
12
COMPONENT
SHORTAGES
Wallace. “For Digi-Key, and other global
distributors like ourselves, we don’t
ship from the UK to the EU or vice
versa. We have a central warehouse
location in Northwest Minnesota, so
the challenges have been limited for
us on this subject. Having said that, we
have seen extended delivery times to
customers in Northern Ireland, due to
delays related to Brexit, which we are
working hard to normalise.”
From a distributor perspective, it has
never been more important to invest in
and maintain strong inventory to help
the industry overcome any sudden
market turbulence, argued Maggs.
“Forward planning, ordering many
months in advance of expected
demand, and holding large inventory
all provide a crucial means of staying
ahead of lead-time extensions and
product availability issues. It is only
by constantly tracking the market,
anticipating future bottlenecks,
and acting before they occur that
distributors can ensure product
continuity and maintain speed of
supply,” he explained.
This sort of foresight has proved
vital in minimising problems which has
been exacerbated by Brexit.
“Throughout January, many
companies shipping into or out of
the UK saw delays to their shipments
due to the new customs processes
implemented from Brexit. We know that
significant shipment delays occurred
throughout January, but disruptions
were
worse for
some companies
than others.
“For Mouser specifically,
forward planning was critical to
minimising the shipment delays to
our customers, as we set up a new
logistics system that avoided any
transfer across EU–UK borders. Since
Brexit, we have shipped products
directly from the US to EU countries
or directly from the US to the UK -
made possible because of our central
distribution facility in Texas.
“In the past, all EU shipments
(including those UK-bound) would
land in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
“We still and then be transported to their final
experienced some destinations. Post-Brexit, UK shipments
delays due to go directly to London’s Stansted
the backlog of Airport, bypassing the need to cross EU
shipments being borders. Consequently, shipments to
processed by customers in the EU were not affected,
UK customs, but and our shipments to UK customers
we were able were expedited faster by avoiding EU–
to minimise the UK borders.”
disruption with According to Maggs while Brexit
careful planning.” presented significant problems for
Graham Maggs some, delays were much reduced.
“We still experienced some delays
due to the backlog of shipments being
processed by UK customs, but we were
able to minimise the disruption with
careful planning.”
There is certainly more to be done
and whether we will see new factories
opening nearer to end markets is still
up for debate as is the discussion
around cost, technical expertise, value,
and building business resilience. What
the past few months have shown,
however, is that there is a question
around the management of the supply
chain and whether the ideas of the
past few years remain as true today as
they were then.
13 April 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk
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MEC2356A-ENG-12-20
 INTERVIEW JAMES WOODHEAD
BUILDING RESILIENCE James Woodhead talks to New Electronics about the need to
build greater business resilience through supply chain rationalisation
C
ovid-19 and the associated global health crisis have
undoubtedly brought significant challenges to a plethora of
businesses across the world. The pandemic has impacted
every business sector, some more extensively than others,
whether positively or negatively, but a key output has been the scrutiny
of companies’ long-term resilience.
“A pivotal area has been the streamlining of supply chains with
many looking to rationalise their supplier lists, focusing primarily on
relationships that truly add value rather than simply being part of a tick
box exercise,” explains James Woodhead, Manager of Projects Division
at Pacer, an international specialist supplier of optoelectronic, display
and laser solutions.
“We truly understand the importance of added value in the supply
chain. Fundamentally, it’s about all the elements and challenges that
are placed on us by our customers. They are looking for significant
flexibility and proactivity on top of the usual elements of good pricing,
customer service and a willingness to go that extra mile.”
Flexibility is critical to Pacer, according to Woodhead.
“Customers want us to be flexible and agile, so we really need to
mimic such an approach in our supply chain. Good communication
is also important. Some large corporate suppliers, however, don’t
always appear to share this approach; impersonal communications and
sudden price increases can damage the relationship and discourage
customers from trusting their suppliers.”
For Woodhead it’s important to work with companies where, “We’re
not ninety percent of their business, but at the same time are not a tiny
fraction of it. It’s about finding someone who can dedicate the time and
effort to our projects and cares enough to go that extra mile.”
With rationalisation continuously looming, however, he admits that
there is a need to look at what triggers it. Unsurprisingly, the main
catalyst is cost, and there are many reasons for that cost.
“It could be that the supplier is strategically moving away from a
product or service, so they then pass on higher costs because they
don’t really want that business. It could be that suppliers aren’t
investing in a specific technology; their resources therefore become
obsolete, and the company is unable to produce elements as efficiently
as everybody else.”
The process of removing “dead wood” may also result in suppliers
not investing in their processes, making their score cards poor, which
in turn reflects on their vendor rating and ultimately disqualifies them.
Another significant factor would be the rationalisation of the number of
similar suppliers.
14
“For example, you may have 20 different plastic injection mould
suppliers where five may be enough; otherwise, you risk spreading your
volume thinly across too many suppliers instead of consolidating across
fewer companies which would result in a better price. It’s all about
balance.
“Another way to rationalise is to become involved in strategic
partnerships, jointly developing a component for example and receiving
it exclusively for a number of years for an agreed price before it goes
on the general market. This, however, would generally only happen with
very large companies.”
Going forward, technology will undoubtedly have a significant role to
play in the supply chain in general, and its rationalisation in particular,
Woodhead suggests.
“To ensure future supply chains are efficient, we will probably need
to follow the model of the automotive industry, which is regularly cited
as the gold standard along with health, defence and aviation.
“The automotive industry pioneered the requirement for very agile
supply chains which can work off ‘just in time’ deliveries, making
everything as efficient as possible, while not handling stock for longer
than is necessary. “This is where digital transformation and artificial
intelligence come to the fore with computer modelled assembly and
robotics. However, despite such an approach reaping many benefits,
the recent component shortages have exposed challenges within this
type of automotive supply chain model with many car plants across the
world having to close. The lack of any buffers has been highlighted
as a weakness so caution is required but there are elements of this
approach that we will want, or need, to emulate. Furthermore, it can be
argued that these initiatives are still really for the big players. For some,
this may be the only way to compete.”
Successful supply chains
Successful supply chains, of whatever size, will be the ones that
embrace an agile approach, ensuring that they invest in technology
that guarantees they stay competitive and are being duly considered,
Woodhead argues.
“Is there, however, a rationalisation equation that looks at the
correct number of suppliers, with the appropriate performance,
price, reliability and sourcing? There are companies that will monitor
their supply chain extremely closely with regular benchmarking,
detailed vendor ratings based on multiple KPIs along with ensuring
environmental and corporate responsibilities are being upheld.
“The correct number of suppliers really depends on the project size.
13 April 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk

For a big project, we may use a couple of suppliers of the same part/
material in order to limit risk. The medical and defence suppliers tend
to stick to consistent, reliable, smaller supply chains if possible and
can find it extremely challenging and costly if they were to change
those suppliers’ mid-project. They have very strict approval lists and if
a supplier is designed in, but then changed, there are knock-on effects,
and in extreme cases they would have to go through a complete FDA
resubmission for their product.”
Supply chain rationalisation is happening, but it is still a balancing
act. If you go too far one way, you can rationalise to the point where
the quality or value piece is then being questioned or becomes a deal
breaker, according to Woodhead. This is a great reminder that you
need that chain – a list of suppliers, however big or small, depending
on your size, that deliver that quality and added value piece.
“It’s important to avoid technology for technology’s sake from
the supply chain perspective. A platform needs to add value and you
must always be asking that question as to whether it does or not. The
adoption of new technologies is certainly something that we are actively
working on to future-proof our own business. At the heart of everything
we do is the value-add piece and aligning more closely with Solid State
Supplies will give us a much broader offering. The technology goal posts
are changing in the industry, but we will evolve with them.
www.newelectronics.co.uk 13 April 2021
“It’s important to
avoid technology for
technology’s sake
from the supply chain
perspective.
“At Pacer, we are keeping a close eye on technology and what’s
adopted in the marketplace, such as Amazon-style purchasing, or
huge warehouses selling high end products. Elsewhere, we are
supporting vendor managed inventory (VMI), where the supply chain
builds for, and delivers to, customers – but retains ownership of the
goods. The customer only pays for inventory as they draw it down
out of their warehouse to be used on the line - a prime example
of supply chain flexibility. The question is whether elements of
commoditisation could go too far one way.”
Building greater business resilience through supply chain
rationalisation is not just for now but for the future.
“Undoubtedly, there will be issues and challenges to overcome,”
concludes Woodhead, “and Covid-19 will remain a challenge for
the months ahead and there are likely to be other challenges in the
future that will impact our industry. We need to stay one step ahead
and ensure we’re ready for those changes.
“At Pacer we believe that we are in a good position and can
offer an important balance between cost, technical expertise and
value, embracing rationalisation in the supply chain, while building
business resilience. No doubt there is still more to do but we are
confident that we, as well as companies like us, will not simply
survive, but thrive.”
15
Engineering Green:
Heading full throttle
to net zero carbon
Every component counts in the UK Rail Systems’
programme to deliver net zero carbon, as
Leigh Chapman explains
N
et zero carbon nationwide by
2050 is the initiative set in
motion by the UK government.
Another is the 2040 milestone set by
the nation’s rail transportation authority
which aims to assure carbon success
through the interim goal of eliminating
all diesel-only trains a full decade
ahead of the nation’s carbon mandate.
Designers and manufacturers are
embracing a balance of electrification,
battery, and hydrogen technology to
achieve this large-scale and ground-
breaking target. Options include
investing in new rail vehicles or
upgrading the thousands currently
on the tracks, offering hybrid,
energy-efficient performance - no
small feat and every asset must be
maximised as the industry works to
solve the logistical, mechanical, and
technological challenges of redefining
railway transport as green and
carbon-free. From lighter and more
functional systems to more powerful
connectors, every component plays
a role in managing the vehicle weight
and system footprint so integral to
decarbonisation success.
Rail decarbonisation
According to the Rail Delivery Group,
the UK rail industry contributes ~2
per cent of total transport emissions
and less than 1 per cent of total UK
annual greenhouse gas emissions.
At the same time, the industry is also
uniquely suited to drive change, as the
16
lone transport mode adept at moving
both people and bulky goods using a
zero-carbon solution. Yet, embracing
the goal of carbon reduction is merely
the first step to making it a reality.
Real-world strategies vary depending
on the type of vehicle, routing,
geographic conditions, and availability
of technology and infrastructure.
Engineering challenges include
managing the weight and footprint of
added systems and the understanding
that railway computing continues to
evolve to meet passenger expectations
for convenience and service. These
factors are operational, commercial,
and technological – and require
immediate strategic action on the part
of rail industry groups, manufacturers,
technology providers, and the rolling
stock lessors (ROSCOs), which own
most of the locomotives and coaches
that are hired out to freight and
passenger operators.
It is a complex landscape where
complete removal of diesel trains is
unfeasible from a cost and performance
perspective. Many ROSCOS have
already replaced the oldest trains
in service…further, converting or re-
engineering rail vehicles must consider
the economic concerns that naturally
follow. Ultimately, decisions on the
purchase and/or
refurbishment
of rolling stock
must happen
soon, even as
the vast majority of vehicles currently
in service likely have a performance
life well past the 2040 timeline for
removing diesel-only trains and maybe
even past the net zero carbon mandate
slated for 2050. It is a competitive
transition as well, as each ROSCO is
working to lead the market and offer
zero carbon solutions that make them
an obvious choice for rail vehicles.
Solving the ‘how’
The Rail Industry Decarbonisation
Taskforce points out that traction is
the single most significant source of
carbon and the likeliest reason for
industry change, particularly by the
2040 target date for no more diesel-
only vehicles. Along with electrification,
the technologies poised to make the
most impact as mature, carbon-free
Below: alternatives are hydrogen and battery
‘Connectorising’ power.
systems is critical Instead of full retirement of diesel
when it comes vehicles, these coaches are being
to upgrades, TT retrofitted with new battery systems. In
Electronics’ Pola this scenario, rail cars shift to battery
Power connector has propulsion when they enter more
a hyperbolic bayonet populated areas, reducing pollution
system making it and noise in towns and cities and
easy to connect then shifting back to diesel during
systems together open countryside transit. Given the
complexity of factors involved in
choosing a single source of power,
this type of hybridisation is growing
industry-wide.
Consider that electrification includes
geographic concerns as well as the
13 April 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk

complexities of on-vehicle technologies.
Overhead lines and their accompanying
infrastructures are costly and may not
be justified on a limited use route.
Remote or valley areas may offer few
opportunities to add electrification
technology, steering designers toward
a strategy that adds battery power to
their diesel capabilities in a hybrid or
bi-mode approach. Because batteries
are not necessarily where they need
to be technologically, other scenarios
are likely to leverage a combined
battery and hydrogen solution.
Hydrogen infrastructure needs must be
developed in sync – likely years away
from operation at the scale required
– leading to greater consideration of
electric and battery systems.
As any and all of these solutions are
being considered (and demonstrated),
many train cars have a small number
of positions where technologies can
be added. Designed and standards-
certified to operate for decades, some
of these rail cars are challenged to
accept a retrofit that includes an
extensive battery system. Hydrogen
tanks present a similar dilemma,
even though some other areas of
Europe are deploying them with a bit
of success. In countries with more
modern rail systems, rolling stock can
be larger – the gauge of the train and
tracks are bigger and allow space for
tank installation on the vehicle roofs.
Not so simple in the UK’s Victorian rail
network, with small tunnels and smaller
www.newelectronics.co.uk 13 April 2021
SECTOR FOCUS
Author details:
Leigh Chapman
is a Business
Development
Manager with TT
Electronics
rolling stock.
Successful hydrogen trials
are underway, with at least one
manufacturer in the UK fitting interior
tanks. Feedback is positive, but
tank size is prohibitive and likely
to drive a blended hydrogen and
battery propulsion strategy. Design
collaboration is crucial to this initiative
and will incorporate considerations of
vehicle, technology, and infrastructure.
Big goal, big changes
It is a locomotive-sized jigsaw puzzle to
convert old railway vehicles, commonly
designed to perform for decades, from
diesel to electric with the addition
of battery systems. And even as we
decarbonise, designers must also
keep overall modernisation in mind,
planning for on-board applications
that are increasingly dependent on
non-stop data as well as high power.
Yes, hybridisation will reduce carbon
output, but rail vehicles still must
maintain commitments to physical
space and technology required for the
sophisticated on-board applications
that keep passengers safe and
happy. Harsh environment circular
connectors are vital in this puzzle,
playing a crucial role in reducing vehicle
weight, minimising system footprint,
and increasing design flexibility with
their inherent modularity. Circular
connectors can be customised and
are manufactured to exact customer
needs, purpose-built to offer the
GREEN RAIL
specific contact arrangements or
space envelope for the application
at hand. This is in direct contrast to
rectangular connectors, which allow
only various inserts to be selected by
manufacturers, a simple albeit less
flexible means of customisation.
As older vehicles are retrofitted with
new equipment, harsh environment
circular connectors function as building
blocks that address performance and
limitations of space. Whist the high-end
technology may lie in the equipment
being added, quite often, the only
interaction the maintenance crew has
with the equipment, is the connector
itself. This makes the connector design
and selection a key component of the
equipment itself.
Meeting the moment
In its Final Report to the Minister for
Rail, the Rail Industry Decarbonisation
Taskforce points to the need for
credible technical options. The group’s
approach is grounded in the ideal
that carbon reduction is, at its core,
waste reduction. Given that any form of
waste has an associated cost, carbon
reduction is just good business. Yet
no single solution is likely to fit all
railway demands, and manufacturers
and industry groups must collaborate
to solve the challenge across the
needs of all stakeholders. Every piece
of the puzzle plays a part, down to
the lightweight, customisable circular
connectors that enable mission critical
performance of electrified, battery, and
hydrogen systems.
We are in the midst of a green
industrial revolution, with a scope and
impact that harkens back to the Uk’s
role in the original Industrial Revolution.
And we are the first major economy
to tackle decarbonisation in such an
all-encompassing initiative, part of the
nation’s published Industrial Strategy
and recommended by the Committee of
Climate change, the UK’s independent
climate advisory board. Whether the
industry needs to decarbonise is no
longer in question, and we are down to
solving the ‘how’ of it.
17
EASY
AS PI
How Sony’s UK Tec is using the Raspberry
Pi to unlock Industry 4.0. By Ankur Tomar
S
ony Corporation’s electronics
manufacturing arm, based in
Wales, is pioneering the use of
the Raspberry Pi single board computer
(SBC) to bring its Industry 4.0 vision to
life. UK TEC’s Professional Solutions
Manufacturing (PSM) department has
adopted the Raspberry Pi as part of its
wider initiatives to embrace Artificial
Intelligence (AI), enhance product quality
and create a more efficient workforce,
with the aim of raising productivity by
between 20 and 30 per cent.
As Sony’s only manufacturing site
in Europe, UK TEC uses cutting edge
manufacturing techniques to generate
advanced broadcast equipment
and professional audio and video
solutions. The cameras and systems
manufactured at the site are used
worldwide in the production of major
live sports events, news and current
affairs programmes, TV dramas and
blockbuster films. Today, UK TEC has
around 150 Raspberry Pi devices
installed across its manufacturing
facility to monitor its industrial
automation and control systems
ensuring high performance across
its manufacturing operations and
end-products through the monitoring
of smart robotics and automation
to capturing big data and analysing
processes.
Why Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi has been adopted
far beyond the educational sector,
18
This page and
opposite: UK TEC
has deployed
the Raspberry Pi
across a range of
industrial devices where it was first launched, and is now
and projects commonly used in both commercial
manufacturing and the industrial
sector supported as it is by a strong
supply chain and robust compliance.
A compact single board computer
the Raspberry Pi can operate on very
low power due to its ARM and RISC
architecture, generating much less
heat than a desktop computer and
eliminating the need for a heat sink or
fan on its microprocessor. Simplicity,
flexibility, and reliability are ensured
by the Raspberry Pi’s Linux operating
system.
According to Kevin Edwards,
General Manager at UK TEC, “The
Raspberry Pi is an extraordinary
piece of technology – flexible, very
cost-effective, a small form factor, low
power, portable computer solution
which is easy to install. It has so
many things going for it. We chose the
Raspberry Pi because of its reliability,
quality, price, ease of use and support.
Our aim is to capture the real world
in our manufacturing facility by using
cost-effective computing.”
Getting started
In the early stages of deployment,
UK TEC gathered critical data on
environmental conditions such as
humidity, temperature and lighting using
the Pi Sense HAT. The Sense HAT has
an 8×8 RGB LED matrix, a five-button
joystick and includes such sensors as
a gyroscope, an accelerometer and a
magnetometer which allows a Raspberry
Pi to ‘sense’ the world around it. Data
gathered was used to debug UK TEC’s
big data storage and standardise the
factory to enhance production.
According to Edwards, “The most
valuable information we have is
monitoring our processes directly
and we can now measure data using
sensors that are directly connected
to control systems of equipment. We
are able to use the Raspberry Pi to
capture videos and to drive displays
that give information back.”
13 April 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk

Imaging enabled by AI
A key focus for UK TEC was to
improve manufacturing efficiency
through the use of image processing
technology. The company is using the
Raspberry Pi to carry out non-intrusive
image processing and data capture
using AI technology that monitors
product variation and quality on the
factory floor.
To ensure UK TEC adheres to
lean manufacturing processes and
eliminates waste as efficiently as
possible, the Raspberry Pi is partnered
with the Raspberry Pi High Quality
Camera to review processes, such as
the mounting of parts on individual
boards, to ensure consistency. A
major benefit of this camera is that it
can capture the whole manufacturing
environment in a single shot rather
than having to rely on traditional
sensors for monitoring robotics
and capturing data on position,
temperature and movements.
“The Raspberry Pi offers us a
very low-cost method of capturing
scenes of our operation. As we move
more into AI and the analytical world,
this vision can be used to achieve a
measurement capability that has never
been possible before,” said Edwards.
“That is the exciting part we are
www.newelectronics.co.uk 13 April 2021
investigating, and the first stage is to
be able to capture the physical world.
The Raspberry Pi does a wonderful job
of that.”
Touchscreen for Raspberry Pi
UK TEC also uses Touchscreen
for Raspberry Pi to display
communications throughout its
warehouse. They were chosen for
their reliability, cost-effectiveness,
connectivity and small form factor,
as well as their low heat and low
power characteristics. These features
made it possible to insert the small
computers inside the manufacturing
equipment, with close proximity to
the product eliminating the need for
any infrastructure to process signals
across a long distance.
“I could not imagine putting 150
PCs around our factory, it would have
cost us a fortune. It also wouldn’t
have been practical to have had lots
of desktop computers in cabinets
next to the equipment. The Raspberry
Pi is a far more viable option and
it enables us to embrace edge
computing by embedding these little
units directly inside our equipment
and machinery. The technology is
almost invisible,” Edwards added.
Looking to the future
UK TEC believes the recently launched
Compute Module 4 (CM4) is another
Raspberry Pi solution that will support
adherence to lean manufacturing
processes and improving productivity
while keeping costs down. The CM4
family delivers a variety of mix-and-
match functionality and power with
2Gb, 4Gb and 8Gb SD-RAMs, on-
board flash, and the ability to boot
from the cloud, offering reliability and
security.
“When adding computers to an
industrial site, security can be a
problem, however it can be easily
resolved with the Raspberry Pi. The
CM4 fits nicely as a low-cost, small
form factor alternative to the Pi4
and, of course, the applications run
perfectly well on both so you can’t tell
BOARD DESIGN CASE STUDY
a difference when you look at them on
the network,” explained Edwards.
In the future, UK TEC is looking
to expand its use of the Raspberry
Pi into a range of industrial devices
and projects. For example, the site is
currently evaluating the technology in
mobile devices that could be used to
scan barcodes in warehouses, and
Author details: to improve connectivity of automated
Ankur Tomar is a guided vehicles (AGVs).
Technical Marketing “The Raspberry Pi is marketable
Manager, Farnell because it delivers technology that
is easy to access, use and develop.
That’s hugely powerful. Just as
communities have been able to
pick up the Pi and use it in different
types of projects, technical experts
in manufacturing have the same
capability to use the technology to
develop new applications that improve
efficiency and performance,” said
Edwards. “The beauty of the Pi is
that it offers such a highly scalable
foundation to build products on.”
Today, an estimated 40 to 50
per cent of Raspberry Pi boards are
being used by the industrial sector.
Widespread adoption is supported
by Raspberry Pi’s reputation for
innovation and performance,
alongside guaranteed longevity with
“The Raspberry every generation is guaranteed to be
Pi offers us a very in production for at least five years.
low-cost method of The Raspberry Pi’s strong
capturing scenes of compatibility with desktop and server
our operation” development environments has the
Kevin Edwards, potential to place the board at heart
General Manager of many new manufacturing solutions
at UKTEC in the future.
19
Throwing a light on
BLUETOOTH
According to the Bluetooth SIG connected lighting
solutions – both commercial and residential - are
growing rapidly. Neil Tyler investigates
C
OVID-19 and the resulting
pandemic has effectively
shifted growth in Bluetooth
annual device shipments out by one
year, according to a new report from
the Bluetooth Special Interest Group
(SIG) but, despite that, the group
is predicting that annual Bluetooth
enabled device shipments will
increase from four billion last year to
more than six billion by 2025.
Though few markets were
untouched by the COVID-19
pandemic, some Bluetooth markets
have certainly found opportunities to
grow.
Healthcare environments relying
on Bluetooth medical devices and
solutions to minimise exposure and
improve patient care increased over
last year, while the global transition
to work from home drove growth in
Bluetooth PC accessories, with 153
million PC accessories shipped in
2020, exceeding last year’s forecast
by 10 per cent.
With the support of a member
community of more than 36,000
companies, Bluetooth technology is
helping to drive wireless innovation
and using data from ABI Research,
the 2021 Bluetooth Market Update
highlighted a number of key trends in
solution areas that are being enabled
by Bluetooth technology.
One of these was Bluetooth
enabled device networks which
includes commercial connected
lighting, which was found to be gaining
considerable mainstream traction.
20
Primarily focused on supporting
building automation, control, and
operational efficiency these device
networks have remained largely
resilient during the pandemic and the
market has seen a proliferation of
LEDs, greater energy efficiency and
faster deployment capabilities that
have combined to deliver a higher
quality occupant experience.
These solutions are helping to drive
the demand for commercial connected
lighting solutions, which is expected
to be worth in excess of $19 billion
by 2029. Commercial connected
lighting, along with smart home
solutions, are now the fastest growing
Bluetooth solution area with a 34 per
cent compound annual growth rate
predicted over the next five years.
According to Chuck Sabin, Senior
Director, Market Development at
Bluetooth SIG, “There are real
opportunities and momentum when it
comes to connected lighting and the
Bluetooth SIG is playing an important
part in the roll-out of this technology.
Our commercial and technical efforts
are having a real impact in terms of its
commercial success.
“Annual shipments continue to
grow rapidly, despite the dip we saw in
2020,” Sabin added.
According to Sabin what’s
interesting about these latest figures
is that back in 2016 two thirds of
shipments concerned devices like PCs,
smartphones and tablets – essentially
platform devices for connecting
devices.
“Fast forward to today and those
numbers have flipped,” he said.
“Today’s shipments are now primarily
driven by non-PC/phone devices such
as wearable devices, tags, beacons,
location services, sensors and
connected lighting products.
“There is an incredible diversity in
terms of the solutions and products
using Bluetooth and we have seen
four waves in terms of the solutions
that are using this technology. These
include: audio; data transfer e.g. in
terms of wearables and health and
wellness solutions; location services,
such as asset tracking where location
awareness is critical and, in terms
of device networks, control and
automation type solutions which are
using Bluetooth technology.
“While audio streaming is by far the
largest solution segment it’s that final
group – device networks and within
that connected lighting - where we are
see the fastest growth in the lead up
to 2025.”
Connected lighting
At the heart of these device network
solutions is Bluetooth Mesh which
looks to maximise the value of
operating tens, even hundreds, of
devices alongside one another.
“Critically, Bluetooth Mesh was
13 April 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk

originally designed as a commercial
zhu difeng/stock.adobe.com
grade solution,” explained Sabin,
“so while it can be scaled for home
deployment it was designed primarily
for commercial implementation and
deployments.
“It operates where mandatory
layered security is required. It’s one
thing to deploy a light build in your
home, but another when you are
looking to deploy a sophisticated
network for control, monitoring and
access in a commercial environment.
There you need the assurance that
all the devices in that network and
ecosystem have security in mind.
“In turn, Bluetooth Mesh has been
designed as a distributed architecture
that is able to maximise scalability,
reduce the cost of implementation and
eliminate points of failure by operating
without the need for gateways. It’s a
truly standalone network.”
According to Sabin Bluetooth Mesh
was designed with light and sensing
in mind and comes with extensive
specifications for connected lighting.
“Many see connected lighting as
the test case for deploying complex
mesh network implementations,” he
suggested, “and we are seeing more
companies moving to using Bluetooth
Mesh technology.”
Beyond the importance of security
www.newelectronics.co.uk 13 April 2021
SECTOR FOCUS
and a distributed architecture Sabin
highlights the role of the Bluetooth
SIG in developing and promoting
standards.
“This is the third area and it’s
critical. Connected lighting is not
going to be driven by proprietary
solutions – it requires standards
and standardisation to ensure that
different devices and solutions are
able to work together and that we see
cross-vendor interoperability.
“The Bluetooth SIG has a long
history in terms of promoting
standards providing support and
implementation in the market.”
In terms of device qualification
Sabin said that connected lighting
and mesh network solutions account
for 90 per cent of newly qualified
devices.
“We found that in the first 30
months of Bluetooth Mesh availability
there was a doubling in products every
six months, and we are continuing
to see an aggressive pace in terms
of developments. Today there are
over a 1000 qualified mesh products
available and the majority are focused
on connected lighting products.”
This is a trend that is being seen
in terms of both the residential and
commercial markets.
“If we look at the residential
market growth is being driven by the
fact that people are spending more
time at home, due to the pandemic.
As a result of the shift from work
to working from home, people
have become more focused on the
home. They are suddenly spending
more time there and are looking at
additional convenience. That has
accelerated the use and acceptance
of voice control and home hubs,
which have created new opportunities
for smart lighting,” Sabin argued.
According to figures from the
Bluetooth SIG, by 2025 650 million
home automation devices will be
shipped each year and smart lighting
solutions will be leading that growth
with residential smart lighting
representing 20 per cent of total
LIGHTING
home automation devices.
“This is a big trend and a real
opportunity for companies developing
connected lighting solutions,” said
Sabin.
Turning to the commercial space
there too the SIG expects aggressive
rates of growth.
“In the commercial sector
the focus tends to be on data
driven insights which are now an
essential element when it comes
to deployments. The proliferation
of LEDS and energy savings have
been the major drivers in commercial
lighting,” Sabin explained, “but now
people want to get more. They want
to improve the occupant experience,
deliver remote control and improve
efficiency.”
As a consequence, according to
Sabin, the commercial sector is being
driven by the need for more data
and combined with its support for
connected solutions Bluetooth is well
positioned to deliver on both.
“The desire for data is playing
out in the shipments of hardware
for commercial lighting,” Sabin said.
“Today we are seeing switches,
occupancy sensors and luminaires
constituting the majority of hardware
shipments. Looking to the future,
however, by around 2029 research
suggests that more than 25 per cent
of lighting hardware shipments will
be made up of multi-feature sensors
that are capable of supporting
more intelligent building automation
solutions beyond lighting control.”
As this intelligent building market
and the demand for digital solutions
grows so the need for more data in
order to deliver more insights, greater
customisation and controllability will
be made possible via the lighting
grid/network itself.
“It’s a natural grid for providing
data, “ said Sabin, “and it, together
with the benefits derived from the
use of these new multi-sensors, will
help to stimulate additional growth
and access to even more data driven
solutions.”
21
IPDs help to simplify IoT applications
F
or the next generation of low-cost,
battery operated, wireless IoT
products, the design goal is to
provide exceptional RF signal range
and stability, while also reducing
power consumption, in a miniaturised
package.
As a result, leading RF chipset
and component manufacturers are
increasingly looking to fine-tune and
improve their products to do just that.
According to Semtech, LoRa and
LoRaWAN are already the “de facto
technologies for Internet of Things (IoT)
networks worldwide” and will provide
design with long-range connectivity for a
variety of IoT applications including next
generation “smart” everything such as
cities, homes, buildings, agriculture,
metering, supply chain and logistics,
and many others.
However, to accomplish this PCB
effective-area reduction task, chipset
manufacturers, like Semtech, have to
create reference designs – technical
blueprints of a system – that third
parties can then adapt and modify
as required for their own products’
applications.
22
Chipset specific Integrated Passive Devices (IPDs) are intended to
simplify the development of next gen wireless IoT applications,
as New Electronics discovers
The reference design serves as
proof of the platform concept and is
usually targeted for specific uses. The
goal is to fast track products to market,
thereby reducing risk in the OEM’s
integration project.
The starting point
“The starting point is the chipset,
but the chipset requires specific RF
circuitry to connect to the antenna,”
explains Manuel Carmona of
Johanson Technology, a specialist in
high frequency ceramic components
including chip antennas, integrated
filters/baluns, High Q capacitors and
EMI chip filters.
For the LoRa platform, specifically,
the ability to integrate all the RF
components into a much smaller, low
profile package would only increase
the attractiveness of the chipset for
miniaturised, battery powered IoT
products. Without this option, OEM’s
would have to design the entire
capacitor/inductor scheme and mount
many separate components onto the
printed circuit board.
“OEMs now have the option to
utilise the integrated solution as
opposed to the Inductor and Capacitor
discrete solution. Using an Integrated
Passive Device or “IPD” supplied by
Johanson for example, makes the final
PCB size both smaller and simpler,”
says Carmona. “Also, any changes in
the geometry of the layout can affect
the output performance, battery life and
signal range.”
In this case, the RF circuitry required
is used to convert the signal from
differential to single-ended in a specific
impedance ratio using an impedance
matching network and a balun. Most
chipsets require this type of conversion
due to the differential, two pin input/
13 April 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk

output configuration to connect with the
photon_photo/stock.adobe.com
single-ended antenna.
“For many chipsets, the output
straight out of the chipset is usually not
matched to 50 ohms, which requires
one to have an impedance matching
network that must be designed in order
to avoid loss of power signal, reduced
battery life, and decreased signal
range,” explains Carmona.
To meet the requirements, Johanson
Technology has collaborated with
Semtech in the development of an IPD
that is able to serve as an Impedance-
Matched-Balun-Filter.
Manufactured using Low
Temperature Cofired Ceramic
(LTCC) technology that allows the
passive components to be layered
“3-dimensionally,” these IPDs are able
to deliver the same functionality as
10-40 individual RF components.
With this approach, the entire
front-end between the chipset and
the antenna is manufactured in a
single, ultra-low profile package that
is less than 40% the total size of the
same circuit comprised of discrete
components.
With this device, which combines
an impedance matching network,
balun, and a filter, the entire front-end
RF circuitry is reduced to a single
www.newelectronics.co.uk 13 April 2021
SYSTEMS DESIGN
EIA 0805 (2.0mm x 1.25mm) SMT
component.
The Impedance-Matched-Balun-
Filter is designed to operate within the
license-free 868 MHz RF band used
in Europe and the 915 MHz band
for Australia and the Americas. The
product is able to pair seamlessly with
Semtech’s LoRa and LoRa Smart Home
RF transceivers SX1261, SX1262, and
LLCC68.
“The IPD is a plug-and-play solution
for OEMs utilising the Semtech LoRa
chipsets,” explains Carmona. “By
working with leading manufacturers,
we are able to complete all the R&D
and ensure it is optimised for a
specific chip. Not only will it work, but
it will comply with any FCC and ETSI
regulatory emissions requirements.”
Increased reliability
IPDs deliver another significant benefit:
increased reliability. By creating a literal
circuit within a small LTCC package,
variability and potential points-of-
failure are all but eliminated when
compared to mounting many discrete
components.
“A lot of the variability of “solo”
surface-mounted components is due
to the individual variance of each
component. When you multiply that
by 10 to 20 components, you just
need one weak link in the RF chain for
the entire front-end to fail,” explains
Carmona.
“We have to guarantee that the
performance of this much smaller
solution is equal or better
than their larger discrete
solution,” he adds.
IPDS
“So, each integrated package is
thoroughly 100% RF tested to ensure
all the components are working
properly and are integrated together.”
According to Carmona, Johanson
Technology’s background in material
development has been the key to
being able to create the entire circuit
in such a small package.
The product utilises a novel
proprietary ceramic material in
an LTCC (low temperature co-fired
ceramic) manufacturing process
designed to improve performance to
High-Q levels.
The process to manufacture IPDs is
similar to the technology already used
to create multi-layer SMD component
parts, such as capacitors and
inductors. However, low temperature
co-fired ceramic (LTCC) manufacturing
allows the circuits to be embedded in
as many as 40 separate layers in a
three-dimensional package that is still
very low profile.
“We are a materials company first
and foremost,” says Carmona. “We
are constantly developing new ceramic
materials that will better integrate
circuits, reduce power consumption,
and eliminate power loss.”
Because IPDs require much less
board space, IoT devices with RF
circuitry can be designed in much
smaller form-factors.
Below: Top view “With PCB real estate at a prime,
of a Johanson the size and placement of the passive
Technology chipset components are critical because as
specific IPD everything gets smaller it becomes
increasingly difficult to place more
components on the board,” explains
Carmona. “Therefore, design
engineers are looking to component
manufacturers to deliver miniaturised
solutions that occupy next to no real
board space.”
Beyond size, a smaller PCB can
also impact the aesthetics of a
product, allowing for slim, low profiles.
The elimination of components on a
10:1 or greater basis also reduces
the overall weight of devices, even if
that savings is measured in tenths of
grams.
23
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Increasing data throughput
T With the upcoming 802.11be WLAN standard nearly complete,
he standardisation of the current
WLAN generation 802.11ax, also
known as Wi-Fi 6 or High Efficiency
(HE), is nearly finished. The main goal of
802.11ax is (more) efficient utilisation
of the spectrum, especially in scenarios
with high user density.
The market penetration of 11ax
devices is still relatively low, but
work is already underway on the next
generation 802.11be, also known as
Wi-Fi 7 or Extremely High Throughput
(EHT). While the main aim of 802.11ax
is better servicing of users in multi-user
operation, 802.11be again focuses on
increasing data throughput.
Despite the different focuses of
802.11ax and 802.11be, the physical
layer (PHY) will inherit many aspects
of 802.11ax, such as OFDMA and
MU-MIMO. However, a boost is in the
works for the key parameters that
determine throughput. For instance,
higher order modulation schemes
will be supported (up to 4096QAM),
the number of spatial streams will be
increased (up to 16) and the channel
bandwidth will be enlarged (up to 320
MHz). Additional improvements will
also be introduced in 802.11be. The
OFDMA tone plan will be modified to
improve frequency availability, and
grouping of multiple subcarrier packets
(resource units) will be possible for
devices that need high throughput.
The data preamble will have a new
field to improve compatibility between
different WLAN versions and simplify
data handling in future versions.
Status and documents
Back in January a draft version 0.3 of
the 802.11be standard amendment
www.newelectronics.co.uk 13 April 2021
COMMUNICATIONS TEST
Werner Dürport and Lisa Ward look at how it will impact test
& measurement requirements
was released for voting members of
the task group. This is a preliminary
draft with a number of open questions
and Version 1.0, with answers to
these questions, is expected to be
ready in May of this year. The stable
draft version 2.0 is planned for March
2022. Here we refer to the draft
version 0.1.
Although 802.11 draft versions are
only available to voting members of the
task group, the 802.11be specification
framework document (SFD) is freely
available. It contains the features and
requirements that have been agreed by
the members of the task group.
Goals and features of 802.11be
The main goal of 802.11be is to
increase throughput in the unlicensed
bands from 1 GHz to 7.125 GHz.
Specific goals are stated in the project
approval request:
● Provision of at least one operating
mode that enables throughput
greater than 30 Gbit/s measured at
the MAC access point (SAP)
● Backward compatibility and
coexistence with older 802.11
devices operating in the 2.4 GHz, 5
GHz and 6 GHz bands
● Definition of at least one operating
mode with better worst-case latency
and jitter than 802.11ax
● Attaining higher throughput with
lower latency for use cases such as
video, virtual and augmented reality,
802.11BE WLAN
spainter_vfx/stock.adobe.com
Author details: gaming, remote work and cloud
Werner Dürport, computing
Product Manager
and Lisa Ward, Key parameters
Technology Manager 802.11be devices will be able to
at Rohde & Schwarz operate in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and
6 GHz bands and must be able to
interoperate in these bands with other
devices that conform to the physical
layer specifications of previous
standards. In fact there are many
similarities between 802.11ax and
802.11be.
802.11be defines two PPDU
formats for transmitting data: a trigger
based (TB) PPDU and a MU PPDU. The
TB PPDU serves the same purpose as
in 802.11ax, i.e. for a transmission
that is a response to a triggering frame
from an AP. The MU PPDU is used for
transmissions to a single user or to
multiple users. This is different from
11ax, which has a separate PPDU
format for transmissions to a single
user. The MU PPDU has two modes:
OFDMA and non-OFDMA.
The preamble of 802.11be PPDUs
is very similar to the preambles of
previous PHYs. It contains legacy
fields (L-STF, L-LTF, L-SIG and RL-SIG)
to ensure coexistence and backward
compatibility, as well as fields specific
to 802.11be such as U-SIG, EHT-SIG,
EHT-STF and EHT-LTF.
The new U-SIG field will also be
present in all future 802.11 versions.
It contains version-dependent and
25
 COMMUNICATIONS TEST
version-independent bits such as the
PHY version. Including the PHY version
in the version-independent bits enables
802.11be devices and future devices
to easily determine the packet type.
In earlier generations, increasingly
complicated automatic recognition
markers were developed to distinguish
between packet versions, such as
802.11ac versus 802.11ax.
In addition to the PHY version,
other version-independent information
includes:
● Downlink/uplink flag
● BSS colour
● Bandwidth
● TXOP (duration of channel use by the
device)
Multiple resource units
In 802.11ax, only one frequency packet
(resource unit, RU) in the service
bandwidth can be assigned to each
device. 802.11be will enable multiple
resource units (MRU) to be assigned. An
advantage of MRUs is more flexibility for
efficient spectrum use. However, MRU
assignment must be signalled to the
station, which increases the overhead,
and a large number of possible RU
combinations leads to higher complexity
in the access points and stations.
802.11be therefore limits this number.
Large RUs with 242 or more carriers
(RU 242, RU 484, RU 996) can only
be combined with other large RUs, and
small RUs with fewer than 242 carriers
(RU 26, RU 52 and RU 106) can only
be combined with other small RUs.
In addition to this restriction of RU
combinations, 802.11be only supports a
subset of the possible combinations of
small RU sets.
The 802.11be standard prescribes
support for broad MRU combinations,
depending on the transmission
bandwidth capability of the device,
because they are important for
coexistence with other technologies and
flexible and efficient use of frequency
resources.
Tone plan (subcarrier plan)
The 802.11be tone plan is based on the
26
802.11BE WLAN
tone plan of 802.11ax, but with some
differences. The subcarrier spacing,
78.125 kHz, is the same in both
standards, as are the 20 MHz and 40
MHz tone plans. The 80 MHz tone plan,
however, differs from the tone
plan for 802.11ax. If the 80 MHz
segment is punctured or is used
with an OFDMA transmission, the
tones are shifted.
This small change eliminates
potential problems with the
802.11ax tone plan:
● ETSI regulatory changes
to frequency mask
requirements: For 802.11,
ETSI recently introduced stricter
mask requirements for uplink and
downlink that allow a maximum level
of only –20 dBr at a distance of 1
MHz from the edge of a 20 MHz
channel. Simulations have shown
that it may be necessary to leave
an RU 242 unused to meet the new
mask requirements.
● Some of the RU 26 blocks in the
802.11ax tone plan are close to DC
carriers or a band edge. In practice,
however, these RU 26 blocks often
remain unused because it is easier
for an OFDMA scheduler to ignore
them.
● For the 80 MHz and 160 MHz EHT
non-OFDMA transmissions, the tone
plan is the same as the HE
tone plan. However, the pilot
locations are changed to match
the pilot locations of the EHT
OFDMA 80 MHz transmission.
Summary
Although WLAN devices
conforming to the 802.11ax
standard are only now becoming
available, the draft v1.0 of the next
generation standard 802.11be is
expected to be ready in May 2021.
In contrast to 802.11ax, which
targeted improving efficiency, 802.11be
again aims for higher data rates. For
this, it uses larger bandwidths, higher
order modulation schemes, future-
oriented signalling and more flexible
handling of frequency packets.
PRODUCTS
As with previous standards in the
802.11 family, R&S is able to provide
T&M equipment suitable for all
product groups
R&S CMW270
Suitable for the non-cellular expert
the CMW270 is designed for testing
Wi-Fi access points (AP) and stations
(STA) in signalling and non-signalling
mode. It is a suitable for testing
integrated wireless communications
solutions as used in laptops, netbooks,
game consoles, data cards, wireless
headsets and other products of the
IoT market. Within the R&S CMW500
- Production Test product family, the
CMW270 provides network emulation
(signalling mode) for WLAN and
Bluetooth as well as generator and
analyser functionality for standards
such as WLAN, Bluetooth, GNSS and
broadcast technologies.
R&S FSVA3000
Intended for Wi-Fi 6E spectrum and
signal analysis in R&D, the FSVA3000
supports 400 MHz analysis bandwidth.
With an analysis bandwidth of 1 GHz,
phase noise of –127 dBc/Hz and a high
dynamic range – the FSVA3000 signal
and spectrum analyser is intended for
demanding measurement applications
such as 5G NR.
13 April 2021 www.newelectronics.co.uk
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